The Alien Experiment
by NightwingNinja17
Summary: Based on 3 Below Season 1 Episode 10 The Arcadian Job. What if not everyone who went into the secret base came out? How would that effect Aja and Krel and how will they survive?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I'm back!**

 **I don't know if any of you watch or have watched Trollhunters or the new show 3Below, but if you haven't you really need to watch it! It's such a fantastic series and worth the watch. Especially if you have family to watch it with.**

 **This story is based on 3Below. There will be spoilers for the 10th episode called The Arcadian Job. You really need to watch this episode, because this is what I imagine this episode to be like if they didn't manage to escape.**

 **So, I hope that you like it and please let me know what you think! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

Watching Krel get hurt was one of the worst moments of Aja's life. One moment they were hanging onto Buster and were almost across the wall, the next moment, they were thrown of due to a blast from the neurometer weapons they were all carrying.

She watched as her brother fell to the ground unconscious and as still as a board. It was terrifying to know that he was out so cold, that no response would be coming.

"Krel!" Aja ran over to her little brother and began to cradle him in her arms. She felt tears begin to well up in her blue eyes. She felt the rumble of Varvatos' footsteps follow closely behind her.

"Prince Krel! No!" Vex ran his big hands through Krel's bright blue hair and then down his face, "We need to get him out of here. Where is the blasted ops team?"

"Flank them and get me the one who is knocked out!" Aja turned and saw the commander of the base point toward Krel, "He'll be a fantastic edition to our collection."

"You can't have him!" Aja stood up, leaving Vex to tend to Krel.

"I don't think you have a choice!" The lady pointed the neurometer toward Aja and charged it, "He's coming with me whether you like it or not."

But the lady changed her aim last minute and shot it toward Vex and Krel.

The shot landed on Vex who was lucky and dodged it last minute. He raised the shield from his serrator, but the blast knocked him away from Krel. Aja quickly ran over and raised her shield to protect her vulnerable brother from further harm.

The lady charged, shooting the whole way but missing every time. This seemed to make her angry. She stopped at a rather close range and shot one more time. It hit Aja's shield and caused her serrator to flicker out.

"No!" Aja was practically standing over Krel who still have a hold of the last piece they needed to fix their ship and go home. The officer smiled and took aim once more. She pulled the trigger and it hit Aja. This time however, it didn't seem to knock Aja out, but it made her fall to the ground. She slumped and almost fell on Krel.

Some of the men that accompanied the officer walked up behind Aja and started handcuffing Krel's four arms together. Even in the midst of feeling weak and being defenseless, she grabbed the circuit from her brother's grasp before the soldiers or the lady could and prepared to throw it.

"Vervatos, catch!" She saw Vex stand to his feet and she chunked it as hard as she could in his direction. She smiled when she realized he caught it.

Her victory was short lived however, when a wave of pain hit Aja and she used her top two arms to clutch her chest from the previous blast.

She looked up and saw the officer standing over Krel, gun pointed over his core. Aja gasped and fell backward into the arms of another soldier in a hazmat suit.

"If you want these two to remain alive," The officer turned toward Vex who had prepared to attack, "You'll back down and leave this place. I have this gun set to kill."

The gun was then shoved into Krel's chest and charged up. She held her finger to the trigger and prepared to fire.

"What will it be?" Aja watched the conflicted emotions fall across Vex's face.

"We'll be fine Vex! Krel's life is too important!"

"You should take her advice…. Vex was it? I won't ask again!" Aja watched as the trigger was squeezed a little bit harder. She broke free from the soldier's grasp and shielded Krel's body with her own. She buried her head into her little brother's shoulder and squeezed him as tight as she could.

"Fine!" Vex raised his hands and started backing toward the front gate. He managed to also grab a hold of Stuart who had retreated from the confines of the wall he was hiding behind, "We'll be going now."

"See to it that I don't catch you around here ever again."

And that left the two royals on their own.

Aja relaxed her grip on Krel, tears streaming down her face in pure relief that he didn't die right in front of her. She wished he was awake to help her escape, but she was just glad that he was alive for the time being.

"Well then what to do with you two," the officer knelt down to meet Aja's gaze. She then advanced toward Krel, prompting Aja to tighten her grip on her little brother for a second time.

Aja raised her second set of fists and raised them.

"You stay away from us!" Aja tried to back up but ended up backing up into the soldier who had grabbed her before. She had forgotten that she didn't not have her Serrator with her.

The officer just smiled menacingly.

"Do you think that we took you to not get an up close and personal look at you?" The lady stood up and looked toward the soldiers standing behind Aja and then down at the duo once more, "You're sorely mistaken."

Aja screamed when Krel was roughly take from her grasp. She was pulled to her feet and then dragged in the opposite direction than they were taking her brother. She was scared for him. In his unconscious state, who knew what these humans would do to him.

"No! Let me go!" Her four arms were then cuffed behind her keeping her from lashing out at anyone.

"If you cause any trouble, young lady, your friend here is toast," Aja watched as Krel was carried away to who knows where away from her view. The officer turned to follow the crew carrying Krel and then ordered them to take him to their infirmary.

Aja fought the whole way to a cell that they threw her in. The bars were made of something Aja had never seen before. The room was sterile with a table on the opposite end of the room than the cell was. The walls were also covered in the earth cabinets and some shelves.

They un-cuffed her before they threw her in and then left. Since it was night, Aja could only assume that they were going home or to their quarters for the night.

She hugged her knees and brought them up to her chest. Her thoughts kept on drifting back to Krel, knocked out by the neurometer. His prone form lying on the ground, but still clutching to the Osmic circuit like his life, well more accurately their parents' lives, depended on it.

Tears began to fall. She buried her head into her upper arms and just let the sobs loose. She was terrified. Terrified of what they would do to Krel, terrified of the fact that they had been captured. Luckily it was by no one who wanted to take them back to General Morando, but it was still as bad. The many stereotypes that people said were said of aliens would experiment on humans, were truer of said humans.

Exhaustion soon set in and Aja soon felt the call to sleep. She tried to keep from falling into the bliss of darkness, but it was too much for her. She soon succumbed to sleep trying not to let the bad thoughts overrule the need for rest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Just a word of warning, there are elements of blood and torture so if you don't like to read about either, then don't read this chapter!**

 _"We're almost there!" Krel head Aja cry as they neared the gate of the secret base they had broken into. He was so happy that they were able to secure the last piece of their puzzle that he had failed to notice the vehicle behind them stop and prepare to shoot._

 _The blast was powerful. It caused a green bubble to appear and engulf the creature they were riding in its paralyzing clutches._

 _The creature did an almost complete barrel role into the ground tossing everyone. Vex, Aja, Lugg, and Stuart were all tossed and landed unscathed. But Krel didn't._

 _The impact with the ground, combined with the residual effects of the neurometer, knocked him clean out. He was honestly surprised he managed to hold onto the circuit, cradling it in his second set of arms as his sister and Vex came running to his aid._

 _After that it all went blank._

 ** _2 hours after being knocked out..._**

Krel bolted upright. The dream coming to a close. He rubbed his eyes with his second set of arms and then leaned back against the wall.

He couldn't remember what had happened.

Krel remembered riding the giant creature that had taken a liking to Aja, and he remembered falling off of it, but nothing else came to mind.

That is until the pain settled in.

His top left shoulder must have taken the majority of the impact with the ground as it screamed with the most pain. In fact now that Krel thought hard about it, his whole left side hurt.

"Well look whose awake!" The voice sounded familiar but Krel couldn't place it. That is until he looked up and recognized the lady who had tried to capture him, his friends and family not that long ago.

He gasped and tried to sequester himself into the closest corner that was far away from her. It was then that Krel realized he wasn't at home or in the mothership, he must have been captured. It gave him some comfort to know that it wasn't by someone who wanted to take him back to General Morando.

But it was still pretty bad.

"Don't be afraid I'm not going to hurt you right this moment!" The lady who had attacked them outside had now opened the door to the cell Krel realized he was sitting in. She was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Krel wrapped his arms around his legs and tried to become as small as possible. He wanted nothing to do with her. That was for certain, "Why don't we start with saying our names to each other? I'm sure you've got a name. I'll start. My name is Officer Kubritz."

Krel just remained silent, peeking out at the lady from above his arms.

The lady knelt down and held out her hand toward Krel. He eyed it warily, not believing for an instant that she came with good intentions toward him. If their earlier interactions with her gave him any indication, it was that she hated aliens or people from other planets.

"Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I'm not going to hurt you." This Kubritz lady held out what looked to be like some sort of treat out toward him. Krel's interest was peaked. Uncurling slightly from the safety of his own body, he looked between the face of the lady and the treat that sat in her outstretched hand.

"You're not going to hurt me?" Krel's thoughts rattled through his panicked mind. He could feel his core begin to beat hard and fast as nerves started to settle in. But he uncurled more, the curiosity starting to get the better of him.

"There you go! Now come on, please tell me your name!" Kubritz moved forward slightly toward him. Krel retreated back, not completely curling in on himself again, but still keeping some distance between himself and the lady.

Krel noted the sympathetic look this Kubritz lady was giving him. She seemed to care that he was scared and untrusting of her. She seemed to take note that he was not getting close to her no matter what she tried.

But then the curiosity of what the treat was overrode his fear of the lady.

"Krel," he was quick at saying his name and retrieving the item in her hands. Krel retreated back to his corner. He watched her even while he ate and saw that she had sat down.

"Krel! That's a handsome name. Can you tell me what planet are you from?"

"I'm not going to tell you that," Krel briskly glanced over at her. He knew if she knew his back story, that things might become too dangerous. Even if she was human, it was possible she would do anything to get them off world. Even turn him over to General Morando.

"Why not? I know you're not from around here," She had stood up and leaned up against the door frame.

"There are a lot of things about why I'm here that only myself and my family will be privy to," Krel also stood up, but grew concerned when he began to feel dizzy. He rested his left arms on the wall and one of his right arms on his head.

"Are you alright?"

"What..what did you do?" Krel's legs felt like jelly. He was shaky and the dizziness grew worse. He also began to feel tingly all over as if millions of little daggers where attacking him all over and all at once.

"I placed a small amount of a paralyzing serum on the little treat that I gave you," Krel charged at the lady but the paralyzing feeling grew too much and he ended up falling into her arms. She turned him around swiftly, and somehow simultaneously pinned all four of his arms to his back, "It's not enough to keep you entirely mobilized, but it's enough to make sure you won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

Krel fell to his knees as his top hands were cuffed. He couldn't feel them, but he knew they were there when he heard the faint click of the clasps coming together. He was then dragged out of the cell.

"Look what we have here boys!"

Krel was thrown into the fray of people he didn't recognize. They weren't the hazmat suited people, but they weren't military either. They were in uniforms covered with white coats of some kind. He rose to where he was resting on his stomach and also on his elbows. He watched as they looked upon him with disturbing and hungry looks.

"This is Krel! I need to know where he came from, but he won't tell me. We need to loosen his tongue somehow," Krel felt himself lifted up off the ground, hands almost encasing his entire throat. A few seconds later he was released and fell to the ground coughing.

"I know just what to do," Krel's gaze rose to a man he didn't realize was within a close proximity. Krel tried to back away, but only ended up running into the bars of the cell he was previously held inside.

The man carried a mask of in his hand that had a long tube hanging from the back of it. He managed to get a firm grasp of the back of Krel's head with one hand and then slowly move a strap attached to the mask over his face.

"Get away from me!"

With all of his might, Krel used his two arms that were free, and pushed with all of his might against the person in front of him. This sent him flying back up against nearby cabinets and he slumped down unconscious.

"Not on my watch pal," The lady then took over, pressing her hands hard into Krel's skull.

Krel tried with all his might to push her away as well, but the pain she inflicted only grew as he fought.

The mask was then promptly in place and tightened firmly around his face. He was then lead to a container that was cylindrical in nature and was filled with water.

"No! Let me go!" Krel began to fight back and had successfully knocked a few people away from him. He backed away from the container and tried to flee.

Krel didn't get far however. The tube attached to the mask was yanked and he went flying backward and face planted into the side of the container. A device was placed on his back right around where his core was, prongs eating into his back like there was a bird attached to it.

"Try that again," Kubritz whispered into Krel's ear, "and I'll make sure that you suffer things far worse than what I have been doing so far. Understood?"

"Yes! Yes! I understand!"

"Good! Now put him in."

Krel tried with all his might not to fight the humans who drug him into the water. He followed them up to the top of a set of stairs. He sat down on the edge and stuck his feet in. The water wasn't warm but it wasn't too terribly cold. If any of his time here on Earth told him anything was that this wasn't what would kill him.

The humans who were up there with him checked the mask one last time before placing something in his ear. They pressed hard on his head, forcing him to duck underneath the confines of the water.

A lid was then placed on the top sealing Krel inside. Krel panicked at this; his core jumping out of his chest as he desperately tried to find a means of escape.

"So Krel, we can do this the easy way or the hard way." Krel was startled to hear the officer lady in his ear despite being underwater. He watched the Kubritz lady. It was a bit fuzzy but he could see her pacing in front of the container as if she was stalking prey.

"No! Please let me go!" Krel slammed his free arms up against the side of the glass that separated him from the outside.

"Not until you tell me where you're from!" Krel listened to her talk on and on about why they needed to know where he was from.

"Like I said before, I'll never tell you!" Krel yelped though when his arms were stretched to either side. It was like a magnet that was keeping him from escaping. It hurt. The strain on his already sore body didn't help matters any. If whatever they had planned for him didn't cause him to crack, the pain surely would.

"Well then, I guess it's time you met my friend Bessie!"

"Bessie?"

Something else in the water came swimming into Krel's view. Its body was long and looked much like earth fish that he had been told about in school.

Except this one had large teeth and looked very much like it was from another planet itself.

It took one look at Krel and then sunk its teeth into his arm.

Krel could feel the grinding of the teeth as it tried to pull flesh off of his arm. The pain was so immense that he let out a cry so loud it scared him.

The creature then let go.

"What will it be Krel?"

"You know what my answer is!"

And it moved down. This time, attacking the shoulder of his lower arm on the other side of his body. Krel felt his shoulder shatter underneath the pressure it was receiving from the bite.

It then moved down to his side. Biting not as hard this time.

If it wasn't for the fact that he was in water, Krel was pretty sure he would have been crying like a baby. He really wished that he could cuddle in Aja's arms hearing her tell him it would be alright and help him come up with a plan to get out of here. But he had no idea where she was or even if she was still alive.

The fish moved all over Krel's body, biting him in all different places. His legs took the brunt of the attack. None of his body was unscathed though.

"Fine! I'll tell you what you want to know!" Krel was in too much pain to care anymore. He never had a high pain tolerance growing up, but he didn't let that stop him most of the time.

The restraints on his arms released. The fish continued to circle around his head and would swish his tail up against an exposed part of Krel's skin that wasn't injured already. Every time it happened, Krel could feel shivers running through his body.

The Kubritz officer lady walked over to where she was facing Krel through the glass.

"Where is your home world then?"

"Akiridion-5. My home-world is Akiridion-5," Krel slumped against the glass and began to sob a tearless cry.

"That wasn't so hard now wasn't it?" She knelt down to meet Krel's gaze.

Krel grew angry. He was the king-in-waiting of Akiridion-5. He needed to stand up for himself, even in the midst of pain.

"You will not get anymore information from me!"

"Oh I highly doubt that. But I'll play your game for the time being."

The fish started to bite Krel on the back. Krel fell to his knees, but then decided to fight against the creature.

"Don't let him kill the specimen!" Krel heard the officer yell in his ears. He saw off the corner of his eyes people move into place.

Krel used all four of his arms and peeled the fish off of his back. The tears returned as the pain grew, it felt like a giant chunk of his skin had been bitten off. He then kicked as best as he could while being underwater and it was sent swimming into the other side of the container.

Pain erupted in his face as the mask being ripped entirely off of it. Krel looked up and saw that the lid was open and there were several techs standing there look down at him through the water.

Krel swam up but before he could surface the fish attacked again. It attacked so swiftly and so hard and fast that he had no time to prepare and accidentally let all the air out of his lungs.

"Get Krel out of the water now!"

One of the techs hopped in but still hung on to the edge of the lip of the container. The tech kicked the fish off of Krel and the quickly pulled him out of it.

Krel all but collapsed onto the top of the container, coughing as he tire d to expel the water from his lungs.

"Return him to his cell. We'll deal with his fighting spirit tomorrow."

The same techs who pulled him out also began to drag him back to the cell. Stopping only to allow Kubritz to talk to him.

"If you continue to fight, I'll make sure that you won't be able to. So keep that in mind before you attack one of my specimens!"

Then he was thrown once more into the cell. His face made contact with the bars on the back of the cell causing the dizziness to return for the second time that night.

"And to make sure that you don't escape while we aren't here, we have a little gift for you!"

Krel froze when he felt something press into his back. He heard something charging up.

Pain erupted for the umpteenth time and his world started to blink out of existence.

"Good night Krel!"

The last thing he saw was Officer Kubritz standing menacingly over him telling him goodnight over and over again before darkness overtook him and he fell unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

_All she could see was darkness. She didn't know if it was from having her eyes closed for so long or if it was truly dark. As she looked about the room, she noticed a faint blue glow on the other end of a massive room. She could see the unmistakable sight of bars_

 _"Aja? Aja? Where are you?" Aja was more than certain she had been hearing Krel's voice. She didn't know from where, but it was most certainly his._

 _"Krel? Krel! I'm here!"_

 _Everything was dark, but one thing was for certain everything was glowing. Glowing a pale blue color that was typical of Akiridions. She knew she was most likely close to Krel but for some reason couldn't locate him._

 _"Aja? I'm frightened!"_

 _"Do not be afraid little brother! I am here!"_

 _Aja ran forward toward the light. It grew brighter and brighter as she trekked forward ready to find her little brother. Ever since he was knocked unconscious by the neurometer, she was terrified for him._

 _The she finally found him._

 _"Krel!" She ran forward and knelt down to his level. He was propped up against the bars of the cell he must have been in._

 _"Aja! Everything hurts!"_

 _Aja was surprised at this comment. She looked over him and saw no injuries._

 _"But you're not hurt little brother."_

 _"He's not hurt yet," Aja watched as the officer lady walked into view and began to strangle Krel._

 _"Get away from him!" Aja pulled as hard as she could on the lady's hands. But they wouldn't budge._

 _The stranglehold on Krel's neck went from bad to worse, quickening its effects. Aja could only watch as the life was literally taken from Krel._

 _A large crack resounded through the chamber and Krel was dead.._

"Krel!" Aja sat straight up, heaving in air as if she herself had been strangled. Tears began streaming down her face once again. She wrapped her arms around her legs, rested her head on her knees and then just let the tears flow freely.

Ever since they crash landed here on Earth, her protective instincts toward her brother were stronger than it had ever been before. It only grew when the bird lady tried to kill him. To her, she felt as if she should be by his side at all times. And it seemed like for the most part she was able to. But this one time! One time she failed, Krel got injured and captured by humans. Humans who weren't supposed to be the enemy.

She had to find him to make sure if he was alright. The thought of Krel being dead petrified her to her core. If she lost her little brother, she wouldn't know what to do.

Aja had to find a way out of the cell she was in. She looked around and tried to find an opening, but to no avail.

She was surprised however to find that her cell door opened when she leaned up against it. It was like they wanted her to escape.

And that scared her even more.

"Think Aja! Think! I've got to figure out where they're keeping Krel!"

But she had to quickly duck behind a chair when two of the hazmat workers walked in. She watched them hoping beyond all hope that her absence would go unnoticed.

Aja watched as the workers went about their business. They never once looked toward the cell.

"Man that kid had spunk attacking Keyon," The man to Aja's left began to fiddle with a triangular shaped object made of glass. Inside was a bright blue liquid that looked very much like Akiridion blood.

"Yeah! The look on his face when General Kubritz had him pinned to the container was priceless."

"Have you ever heard of a planet called Akiridion-5 before?"

Aja froze at the mention of her home planet. The only way she could surmise that they would know this information, is if they somehow pried it from Krel. This hastened the urge to find him.

She tiptoed away from her hiding place. Hoping beyond all hope that she wouldn't be spotted by the men behind her.

"No, but the boss knows everything about it. Hopefully he would be able to help give us the information we need."

"There's another boss?" Aja wondered who it was they were talking about. It was strange that the other boss wasn't even here yet and it seemed like he knew a lot about them. She stopped to listen, knowing it was probably valuable to do so.

"I hope that he doesn't come in person. He scares me."

"Well when we turn them over to him, hopefully he'll be out of our hair."

"Turn us over?" Aja felt her core freeze. She only hoped that the person they were supposedly going to be turned over to wasn't who she thought it was.

Aja shook her head clear of the thoughts that plagued her mind. She needed to get to Krel and get them both out of here. She would come up with a plan to do both, but right now she needed to get out of the building and find the one where Krel was being held in.

She stuck to the shadows for the most part once she got outside. There were surprisingly less guards and people in hazmat suits roaming around than she anticipated. She was able to get from one shadow to another without being seen.

That is until she was.

"Stop right there!" She heard the sound of a weapon charging up, ready to strike.

Aja turned and found a guard standing there with the neurometer weapon pointed straight at her.

"Um. Hi!" Aja waved her hands all the while trying to figure out a way of escape that wouldn't alert everyone in the compound.

"What do you think you're doing?" The guard lowered his weapon and began walking toward her.

"I...I...um...just...needed to get some fresh air!" to further the point she took a deep breath.

"You're not supposed to be out of your cell!" The man began to walk faster, raising his gun once more in the process.

But out of no where, a purple cloud came out of no where toward the guard. Then a purple laser also came out of nowhere and hit the gun, which hit the guy in the head. This effectively knocked him out.

Aja turned to find Luug standing there with his cute puppy grin.

"Luug! I can't believe you're here!" Luug jumped into Aja's arms and licked her face.

He barked happily and squirmed around so much that when Aja put him down, he ran around her feet a lot before sitting still once more.

"Luug do you know where Krel is?" Aja knelt down and scratched underneath his chin. Lugg hopped up and began to run away. Aja had only a split second to make up her mind and follow him.

Once again sticking to the shadows, Luug and Aja made their way toward Krel's location.

Dread began to arise as the pair made their way ever so closer toward her little brother. She didn't know what to expect when they found him. Would he be injured? Would he be unconscious? All those thoughts flew into Aja's mind.

That is until she rounded a corner and found the head of the base standing on the other side. Luckily, her reflexes were fast enough to allow her ample time to back up and hide.

"Set Specimen Krel up for blood tests and identity scans first thing in the morning. I want to know who exactly he is. I want my boss to be happy when he calls in soon," Aja peeked her head around the corner and saw the lady give an eerie smile.

"What about the girl?" The second voice was beyond Aja's field of view. It seemed like the other person was on the other side of the door.

"Do the same thing! Or use her as leverage against him something like that. Maybe he'll spill the beans a bit more for us tomorrow."

"Yes Ma'am. First thing in the morning!"

And she left.

Luug growled a bit to get Aja's attention. He beckoned for her to follow him across the road to the building on the other side. He began clawing at the front door which told Aja they were in the right place.

The door however, was unlocked.

"What do I do Luug? I can't get through if the door won't open!"

Luug just smiled as usual. But then he backed up slightly, butt facing the door and shot a laser out of it, creating a hole that would allow Aja to crawl through.

She stood up at the end of the hallway and carefully checked to see if anyone was there. When she felt the coast was clear, she made he way toward a cell that she found.

Nothing however, prepared her for what she found inside.

"Krel!" She finally found him. Relief flooded through her body. She quickly ran over to the cell she had found him in, "Krel! It's me!"

She got no response.

Aja leaned against the door and tried to stick her arm through to reach him. But it didn't work. Her arms weren't long enough and he was so far back from the cell that it was next to impossible to reach him.

She had to find a way in.

Aja pulled on the cell door to see if it would budge. Nothing moved or clicked despite the massive effort Aja had put in in her attempt to open it.

So she had to move to plan B.

Aja found something small enough to fit in the lock, but thick and hard enough to allow her to pick it. She rested her head on the lock and placed the item in the lock. She listened for the sign that she had achieved her goal, carefully weaving the piece of metal through the lock and into the mechanism that kept it in place.

After minutes of trying and failing and trying again, she finally opened it up.

Aja burst in, tearing open the door and quickly running to her brother's side. She saw remnants of some dried blood in places but in others it was still flowing freely. The one Aja found on his back was the worst of it all.

The wounds were numerous and unkempt. His clothes were torn on his arm, his side, his legs, and his shoulder which out of all the wounds, even though it wasn't as bad as his back, was messed up.

"Krel! Please wake up!" She moved to a kneeling position and rolled Krel over head in her lap, body facing the same way that she was.

Aja watched for a few minutes, eagerness to see her brother's eyes open slowly dissipated as time went on. Whatever those soldiers and lab rats did to Krel, they would pay.

"Krel, I can't do this without you! Just please wake up!" She saw a tear she didn't know she had been shedding fall onto Krel's cheek. She quickly wiped it off, but noticed when she did, Krel's expression changed. He scrunched his face up as if he was in great pain, and trying to wake up all at the same time. Aja kept rubbing his face as if trying to comfort him.

And finally Krel slowly opened up his eyes and looked straight at her.

"Aja?" His words barely above a whisper, but very clearly there. Aja tried to compose herself before speaking. Relief flooded through her mind as she opened her eyes and looked down at her little brother who was now looking up at her. He looked so tired, and Aja knew exactly why, "Wha...what are you doing here?"

"I managed to escape my cell and decided to come find you," Aja didn't realize that Krel was crying till she looked at his eyes once more. She wiped away a stray tear that fell down his cheek.

"I...AH!" Krel grabbed his right shoulder on his lower body gingerly, "I am glad you're here!"

"What did they do to you?" Aja examined Krel's body and saw the bite marks all over it. She then pried away Krel's hand and looked at his lower shoulder. It seemed crushed. The bite mark paled in comparison to a small bit of bone that protruded from it. Blood wasn't coming out much luckily, but it still looked very painful. Her core sank as she realized it was also dislocated.

"You see that container?" Aja's gaze followed Krel's hand that was pointed in the direction of a cylindrical container of some sort. Aja observed that it was filled with water and had a strange fish like creature swimming around in it, "That creature inside bit me over and over again till I talked. I couldn't get away from it because they had the chamber sealed off."

Aja grew angry. The nerve of that lady to torture Krel in such a manner! Why would they do that? Krel did nothing to them.

Well, unless you count stealing from them as something.

But her anger quickly died away when she felt her pants grow wet. She looked down and as best as she could without disturbing Krel too gazed at a blue liquid soaking into it.

"Krel, I have to put you down to go get something to stop the bleeding. Would that be okay?"

All Krel could do was nod. He must have been really tired from all his injuries.

She slowly lifted his head and laid it back down on the ground. She then stood up to go locate something like a rag or medical fabric to help aid Krel.

Aja couldn't believe that she couldn't find anything for a while. The room was set up much like the one she had broken out of earlier. Cabinets lined the walls and counter space provided enough room for experiments to be conducted on without leaving the subject alone.

Aja finally opened the last cabinet, hoping to find something to help aid her quest to stop Krel's wounds from bleeding. Her excitement grew. She found a whole cabinet full of rags and towels that she could use. She grabbed as many as she could then hurried back to Krel who had now managed to sit up against the wall.

She then ran out again and grabbed a bowl of water to which she could clean them

She observed her brother for a bit and noticed that he was cradling his arm which had the injured shoulder. She felt so helpless as a few of his wounds continued to seep blood. Most of them had stopped and were starting to form a scab, but others continued to flow freely without showing signs of stopping.

"I'm going to dip this rag in water and start to clean your wounds. This might sting just a bit," Aja watched as Krel's face scrunched in anticipation of the pain to come. She took his top left arm in two of her arms and began lightly dabbing the cloth onto the sore. She was startled when Krel hissed in pain. When it came to his lower right shoulder, Aja crafted a small bandage from the rags and tried her best to cover the bone that was exposed.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" Aja saw Krel wave with one of his other free arms to continue. He never opened his eyes, but at least he was talking, "I just wasn't expecting it to hurt so bad."

Aja resumed her work and soon all his wounds were taken care of except the one on his back. She maneuvered him into a position that allowed him to lean forward enough that he was comfortable and supported, but left enough room behind him for Aja to get in and do her business.

The wound was so bad however, that Aja was afraid she wouldn't be able to fix it.

She could see the teeth marks left from the bite and the big chunk of Krel's skin gone. Dirt and debris from what she assumed was the floor of this cell covered it. His blue blood had been running down his back so much, that it seemed to have stained his clothes.

But after a few minutes of pressure and water, the bleeding calmed down to a trickle and soon stopped. She carefully covered it with a rag and then tied torn pieces of another around Krel's shoulders holding the bandage in place.

Exhausted, Aja leaned back agains the wall, breathing fast as if she had just finished running. She watched her brother, back to her doing the same. But she knew it was for very different reasons.

"Krel?" Aja tried to elicit a response from Krel, but all Krel did was stare at his hands, "Earth to Krel!"

Krel sighed.

"Sorry sister. I'm just not feeling myself right now."

Aja leaned forward and carefully pulled at his injured arm. He shifted to where his back was leaning up against the wall and the leaned sideways up against her. She shifted her position to where she had both her arms wrapped around Krel in a side hug.

"I know. I promise I will get you out of here, we'll fix you up and then everything will go back to normal."

"You know, normal for us isn't normal right?" Krel's voice began to drift off. Aja could only assume he was just as exhausted as she was.

"Yeah, I know." And then Krel was sound asleep against her shoulder.

Aja looked up and down at Krel. She knew he would be alright and that he would pull through this, but she didn't know how long he would be able to endure this pain. Her heart broke for her brother as she watched his unsteady breaths break through his otherwise undisturbed slumber.

But she couldn't think about that for long as the call of sleep soon overwhelmed her once more. She readjusted Krel to where he was laying on her thigh as if it was a pillow, legs outstretched to her her left. She then leaned over on top of his left side, careful not to aggravate any of his injuries. Aja fell asleep knowing that her brother was alright for the moment.

And she wouldn't allow it to be any other way.

 **Please let me know what you think of it so far! I really love to read your reviews! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

The living room reverberated with Vex's heavy footsteps. Vex was pacing. Worry very evident on his face.

He was terrified at first because of Prince Krel's condition prior to him leaving. He had never before seen Krel so relaxed. Had he not witness the accident with his own two eyes, he would have thought that Krel was just asleep.

But coupled with Princess Aja's reaction only confirmed his worst fears.

That he would lose another royal to the hands of the enemy.

Vex didn't get to see the outcome however when the officer lady pointed a gun straight at Krel and told him to leave. He feared the worst, but hoped beyond all hope that they were still alive.

"You are going to run a whole through the floor if you don't stop pacing," Stuart walked through the front door, having left to go get something that would help calm both their nerves.

"Vervatos Vex is too afraid to stop," Vex looked up at Stuart who had placed a few plastic bags on the kitchen counter.

"Those kids are resourceful!" Stuart began pulling the items out, "I'm sure they'll figure a way out of this."

"But what if they need my help?" Vex finally stopped his pacing. The defeated look returned his face.

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we get there. In the meantime, I think we need to have a plan in place to try and keep surveillance on the place. That way if the officer lady tries to do anything with them, we can stop them."

"Vex did see a rather large hill that overlooks the base while we were in there," Vex sat down on the chair he found comfortable, "Maybe we can take turns watching the base from afar."

Stuart gasped in excitement.

"We can use my taco truck as a base so that we can stay close, but still be able to rest."

"Glorious!"

Then Vex turned on the talking box and landed on a news channel.

" _In other news, we have just received reports that members of the military have apprehended two beings that are not from this planet. They have also cautioned that there are two more on the loose! If you see any, please report it to the authorities._ "

"Well that might put a slight kink in our plan," Stuart voiced his thoughts out loud, "Oops! Did I say that out loud?"

"You did!" Vex huffed as he leaned back into the chair even more. The nerves for the youngsters under his care grew even more. If they were being hunted like the prince and princess were, but by the inhabitants of this planet, then the royals were as good as dead.

"For the time being, I say let's keep this plan and then come up with an alternative in case we attract unwanted attention," Vex ran his hands down his face.

"Well then might I suggest this?"

 ** _Meanwhile back at the base,_**

Colonel Kubritz rifled through all the information she had of past aliens that she had encountered. It continued to look like this was the first time they had ever encountered Akiridions before. Their blue forms really threw her off. She continued to grow frustrated at the lack of information that they had on their species.

The boy gave them the perfect start though.

And if right on cue, her contact beeped in.

"It's about time Cerosix," A creature that looked a lot like an Egyptian Anubis dog came onto the screen.

" _Sorry for the delay ma'am! I have been busy trying to ward of invaders from my quarry_ ," Cerosix filled the screen showing all of him.

"Sure. Anyway, what do you know of Akiridion-5?"

The being on the other end of the screen froze.

" _What do you want to know?_ "

"Everything!"

" _Alright if you want to know everything!_ "

He started with the fact that the king and queen's names were King Fialkov and Queen Coranda. They had two children a boy and a girl. He explained how not long ago there was a coup in the country that caused the royal children to have to flee for their lives. No one knew where they went or if they were alive.

"What do the royal children look like?" Kubritz drew her gaze to the screen.

The first picture was of someone that looked an awful lot like the alien girl they just brought in. The second was a spitting image of Krel whom they just finished interrogating. She pulled a double take at the image.

"Quick what are their names?" Kubritz smiled viciously at the images. So they were siblings! No wonder the girl tried to defend the boy so much.

" _Aja and Krel Tarron_ ," The being began to stroke his face, " _Do you know something that I don't_?"

Kubritz's eyes widened. They had Krel in their possession, so that meant the other one had to be Aja.

"What if I told you that I have both of them in my possession right now?"

The eyes of the alien dog like creature lit up.

" _You have them with you? Right now? You need to give them to me!_ "

"They are yours, if you will allow me the chance to experiment on them."

" _I'll be there in two days_ ," Cerosix stated, " _You have until then to do whatever you want with them!_ "

Kubritz smiled. She didn't have to wait anymore to discover their identities. She already knew which gave her a huge advantage when it came to interrogation.

She decided it was time to go ask the girl questions now.

"Colonel Kubritz, ma'am! The girl is gone!" Her lieutenant rushed in, saluted her then explained how they went in to check up on her and the door was wide open and the girl wasn't inside anymore.

"Oh, I think I know exactly where she it," Kubritz gestured for the lieutenant to follow her out into the compound. They quietly entered the building where they housed Krel. They noticed how a cabinet that they both knew was filled with medical supplies had been opened, some contents visibly left on the counter.

Following a small trail of rags, their eyes both landed on the cell in the corner of the room. The door to that cell was also wide open, allowing the contents inside a means of escape if necessary.

Kubritz smiled however when she saw not only Krel in the cell as they left him, but he was curled into his sister Aja. They both were sound asleep, Aja on top of Krel.

She also noticed that Krel's wounds were also bandaged. The bite marks no longer visible due to the white cloth wrapped neatly around them.

The lieutenant just stared at the sighting.

"They're brother and sister, Lieutenant," Kubritz quietly closed the cell door, effectively locking Aja inside with her brother, "Yes that explains a lot! Let me know when they wake up. We're going to have a little fun with them."

She smiled back at the siblings before leaving the room with the lieutenant. She was going to have fun with them, especially now that she knew their true identities.

 **Sorry guys! Short chapter today! I got a bit stuck on this chapter at the same time I was doing a 3-Below roleplay. But hopefully this answers some questions and I hope that you like it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I thought I would take the time to clear this up. I've been told in the reviews, that Kubritz is a cruel person. If you look on the Arcadia-Oaks Wiki page on her says she was trained to capture aliens and believes they should be annihilated at all costs. So that's why I've made her as dark as she is. It's just going off of what I read about her character. I may have made her darker than she might be, but this is just my interpretation of her.**

 **And for those of you who keep asking me to treat Kubritz as if she is dumb, I'm not going to. She's not dumb. She knows what she is doing and I want to write her as such. She doesn't like aliens and will never side with them. She does whatever it takes to make sure that they won't want to come back to earth. And she does this regardless of the reason they came here for. I believe we'll see more of her in the next season of 3-below so hopefully, we'll be able to get more context into her character's motives, but for the time being, I will NOT be portraying her in a good light.**

It was a rude awakening for Krel when his pillow had been ripped out from underneath him. He immediately sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes in the process.

Once his eyes focused once again, he tried to view his surroundings also checking to see where Aja had gone. She hadn't gone far. Krel only assumed she rolled over to the other side of the cage, completely forgetting that she was allowing Krel to rest on her.

It took him a couple of seconds before he remembered where he was and what had previously happened to him. He vaguely remembered Aja appearing, wrapping his wounds and cleaning them to prevent infection and he vaguely remembered falling asleep.

But he was happy he remembered anything at all.

With the trauma he faced previously and with the subsequent appearance of his sister, he felt as if he would need all the help he could get.

"Well, well, well! Look who's awake!" Krel recognized that voice. He whipped his head around to find the officer lady standing to his right on the other side of the bars. He jumped back, fear running through him. Krel made himself as small as he could on the other side of the cage, not wanting to be near her in the slightest.

His reaction must have caused Aja to wake up as well.

"Oh! Looks like sister is waking up too!" Krel froze. How did these humans know that they were related?

Aja noticed the lady as well and it scared her. She jumped back and then shielded Krel from her glaring gaze.

"Stay away from us!" Aja rose to her knees.

"Sorry! No can do little missy! Or should I say Aja Tarron?"

Krel looked up at his sister even though he couldn't see all of her face. Krel watched as all the emotions he could think of showed on her face.

"How do you know my..." Aja started to speak but was quickly interrupted.

"Name?" Kubritz began to pace in front of the cell as if she was an animal waiting for its prey to be released, "I learned it from a friend who knows a lot about otherworldly cultures and creatures."

Krel's gaze returned to Kubritz. Her hardened gaze did little to quell the rising fears that Krel was experiencing.

"Come now! Why the long faces?" Kubritz held out her hands to her sides.

Aja had finally gotten close enough to Krel, that she put one of her hands on the top of his head. She remained silent, not sharing anything.

"Ah!" Krel grabbed his neck in pain, the sudden cry caused Aja to jump. He quickly turned around and found a guy crouching on the other side of the bars. He had a small cylindrical object in his hand that had a sharp point at one end and another flatter area where his thumb rested. The man smirked, target had been hit.

Krel grew increasingly tired. He didn't know what to do. He had experienced sensations like this before, not to mention the time right before Aja found him, but nothing prepared him for this.

Aja just watched as he brother slowly but surely started to go loose and limp. She finally plucked up the courage to cradle him in her arms as he fell unconscious.

"Good! He's out! Timer starts now!"

Aja felt tears fall from her eyes in frustration.

"What do you want from us?" She didn't turn to look at the officer lady, but knew she was standing behind her, all smug.

"What I want is to do some tests on you," She pointed toward Krel, "And we just started. The timer you just heard me set, signals the start of us timing how long it takes your friend Krel here to awaken from the little mixture of sedatives we just injected him with."

" _Friend? She is so confusing. If she really knows that Krel and I are brother and sister, why doesn't she just say so?"_ Aja's brain felt like it was running through many scenarios, not settling on one for long before a new one surfaced.

Aja silently stared down at Krel, who had begun to breath in deep breaths. She listened to the soft sounds of the air moving through his lips and out into the open. She listened to the occasional unconscious grinding of his teeth that he used to do a lot when he was a kid, and apparently still did.

"Please! Just stop this!" The words came out of Aja's mouth faster than her brain processed them leaving. She held one of her many free hands up to her mouth in shock that she even spoke up.

"There is no stopping this!" Kubritz had rounded the cage to where she was now looking at Aja with much pleasure, "And now it's your turn!"

Without any warning, the cage door opened and in walked two humans dressed in the hazmats suits she saw them wear all across this place. She tried fighting it, but they managed to snag her four arms and pin them to her sides.

"No! Let me go!" She struggled against their grips. Aja wanted to get back to Krel and make sure that when he awoke, he wouldn't be terrified to find that she wasn't there.

But none of that mattered.

The two humans fighting against her, had finally dragged her out of the cell and into a high backed, metal chair sitting not far from the cage. Aja was then forced to sit down, arms splayed to either side of her.

Her bottom two arms were strapped to the bottom of the chair and the back of the chair at three points. Her wrists were cuffed, her forearms were cuffed and the top of her arms were cuffed. Her top two arms were strapped differently. Her left arm was strapped in the same three places, but attached to the arm rest. Her right arm was a completely different story.

Once they knew she wouldn't go anywhere, another human approached wearing some sort of white coat instead of the hazmat suit. He then roughly took her arm and rolled it over to where the inside of her elbow was exposed. After he was satisfied that he had her arm where he wanted it, he clamped a cuff on her wrist and the top of her arm and pulled the armrest out slightly to where her elbow was more out in the open. The chair was leaned back slightly to allow her to lay somewhat flat against the metal chair.

All the restraints were finalized and in place. Now it was up to the humans to do what they were going to do.

The human who had strapped her right arm down to the chair cut off a small portion of her shirt and began rubbing a small amount of a liquid on her arm. He then checked a rather small, long, and pointy metal object one more time before poking around the inside of her elbow with his finger as if he was checking for something.

"Assuming her vein structure is similar to ours, I'll say that she have one in the crook of her arm," The white coat human mumbled. All Aja could do was watch as a second human in a while coat began wrapping something green and stretchy around the top of her arm. Aja winced slightly as the pressure left a tingly sensation running the length of her arms.

After everything was set in place, the human stuck her with the pointy metal object. She winced slightly at this. It felt like her elbow had been pinched in the most unpleasant manner. She wanted to squirm away from the sensation, but couldn't thanks to the restraints.

Aja then looked down at a long clear tubing thing that stretched from the top of the metal object to something out of her sight. She saw a glowing blue liquid start to flow through it. Observing it for a few more seconds, it then dawned on her that it was her blood.

"What are you doing with that?" Aja's fear meter went up again.

"That is none of your concern. Now, Aja, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" Aja observed the officer lady move a chair into her line of sight.

"What's there to tell?" Aja was surprised to find that she could at least shrug.

"You can start by telling me if you're older or younger than Krel," Kubritz gestured to Krel.

"Why does it matter? You'll just find out eventually!" Aja was growing more impatient. Why did she want to learn so much about herself and Krel? She apparently knew a lot more about them than she let on.

"You're right! It doesn't matter. But I want to hear it come from the lips of those I capture. Not from a second hand source." Kubritz apparently was also growing impatient. Aja watched her slowly stand from her seated position and grip the back of the chair with such a ferocity, that it was causing her knuckles to turn white.

Aja just glared, silence filling the room.

"You will tell me what I want to know, or else when your brother wakes up, I will make him pay for your insolence."

Aja looked over to the cell. The fear that had been ever so prevalent in her heart and mind grew as she watched Krel's helpless form sleep soundly; oblivious to the world around him or to what could possibly happen."

"I'm older," She returned her gaze to the officer lady.

"Excellent!" Kubritz sat back down again, smiling at Aja, "Now tell me what his strengths are."

Aja's eyes darted between two sources. Kubritz who was to her right and Krel who was to her left. She wanted to protect Krel by not divulging any information that could or would put him in harms way. But if she remained silent, he was as good as harmed anyway.

"He's really smart, and knows his way around math and technology." Aja grimaced as the words came out of her mouth. But at the same time, the point object lodged in her arm was removed and a small bandage was put in its place. The hazmat team went to remove her from the chair, but at a gesture from Kubritz stopped in their tracks.

"Keep her in the chair until after her brother wakes up."

And this is how it went. Kubritz would ask a question, Aja answered. When she didn't Kubritz threatened Krel's life. Now that she knew of their identities, Aja knew a lot could happen.

About an hour later, Aja caught movement off the corner of her eye. Krel was beginning to wake up.

"Stop the timer!" Kubritz walked swiftly over to the side of the cage, "He's waking up!"

Krel felt his mind slowly lift from the fog of sleep that he had been so engrossed in for who knows how long. He took in two deep breaths and then attempted to open his eyes. It seemed to take him forever to do so, but once he did, the sight had him sitting up faster than a cheetah he had been learning about in school.

"Aja!" He cried out his sister's name in the middle of confusion.

"Krel! It's alright! I'm right here!" Krel followed Aja's voice and noticed that she was half sitting, half lying in a chair. He took in a couple of shuddering breaths, calming him down in the process.

"He was asleep for an hour and fifteen minutes," a different voice drew near.

"Good!" Krel definitely recognized that voice, "Now it's his turn!"

 **Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I really appreciate all the support on this story! You guys have been great! Sorry that this chapter was a long time coming. I got stuck on it for a bit. Hopefully you'll like it! I've already got a plan for the next chapter so stay tuned!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you guys for all the support on this story so far! I'm really glad that you like it! Please stay tuned for more chaos and craziness as this story unfolds! So sorry this took so long to come out!**

It was almost dark by the time Stuart and Varvatos managed to gather all of the appropriate items and headed to the hill beyond the military base. From the distance they were at they couldn't tell which facility most of the guards and soldiers were gathered, but it must be important if the base's resources were centered there.

"Hand me the binoculars!" Stuart held out a hand to Vex from the driver's seat of the taco truck. Vex was a bit reluctant to do so and clutched them like his life depended on it.

"It was Vex's duty to protect them and I failed. It should be Varvatos Vex who gets to look through these bee..nocul..aaaarrs."

" _Of course Vex would have trouble saying a word like that,"_ Stuart finally pried them from his hands and began looking through them himself, "My guess is, they are being held in the building surrounded by all the guards."

Stuart pointed to his right to a building that was being patrolled by three separate units of two soldiers each. All six of them carried the neurometers as if the contents they were protecting would escape at any moment. Stuart understood that sentiment though as they almost did manage to escape the compound just one day ago.

"I wonder what they are doing to them," Vex fingered the armor that laid across his right hand.

"Probably testing and seeing how high their pain tolerance is or determining how different their physiology is from humans." Stuart thought back to his own time as a prisoner in the base. The tests were endless. It seemed like once he got a break from one test, another would begin. After a few days of this, Stuart felt nothing but exhaustion and desperation to get out of here.

Vex grew visibly worried at the mention of testing. He continued to stare out the car window, his human eyes looking around the campus as if he was searching for a spy.

Aja and Krel were his charges, beings he was sworn to protect. Even if it meant laying down his own life for theirs. It was like a huge slap in the face that Vex was in no position to do so. Especially after what he did to aid the enemy. But hopefully, Aja and Krel's father would be the only ones who would know of the treachery that he wrought.

"Don't worry Vexy! We'll get them out of there!" Stuart lowered the binoculars and looked over at the feeble looking man who he knew wasn't what he appeared to be, "we just need to find the right time to do so."

"Which I hope is sooner rather than later. Because Vex fears the more time they're in there, the harder it's going to be to get them out."

"We need to come up with a plan right now then, and I think I've got the right one for the job."

 _ **Meanwhile back inside...**_

 _"Now it's his turn."_

The very distinct voice caused Krel to shake in fear. If history would tell anything, it would be that he didn't want anything to do with this human woman. In fact, he had curled into himself slightly when he heard her talk about him.

"Bring him out here!" Krel watched a finger point in his direction. He huddled and hollered for them to stop and get away from him, even managed to land several punches to the officers who came in to nab him, but nothing worked.

Krel was then tossed once again into the middle of a group of scientists. Krel could now see their faces. Not one of them looked upon him with pity, but looked on him with a greedy, hungry look that could only mean bad things.

Krel was taken from his thoughts when a piece of technology was quite literally thrust into his chest. He even let out a squeal of surprise when the device came into contact with the exact location his core was in. Krel then let out another yelp of surprise when he felt another sharp pain, this time coming from his back. His old wounds from the fish like creature that had bit him the day before began to bleed once again. Reeling around, he caught the scientist by surprise when he accidentally slapped him across the face.

But he didn't have much time to think about what he just did, he now had to deal with the general officer lady, roughly grabbing him by the shoulders and squeezed causing much discomfort.

"You will tell me what this piece of technology is, or else," Krel had to hold back a scream of pain, when a booted foot came into contact with his back, along with a second round of the sharp pain coming from a much smaller object.

Krel turned the device around in his hands, contemplating what it was. He also was thinking, trying to figure out if it was to his benefit to tell her what she wanted to know. He then decided not to tell her, even though he knew it was a part of the much larger subspace manifold that then had recently acquired. Luckily it wasn't of the exact one that they had. It must have come from Stuart's old ship.

"I won't tell you what it is," Krel squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest slightly.

"Krel? What are you doing?" Krel looked between the general and Aja, confused slightly at Aja's comment.

"I'm not going to tell her! She clearly knows to much already and I am not about to tell her what this is," Krel held up the piece of technology to where Aja could see it. He watched as her eyes widened at the sight. She knew exactly what this piece was.

But the moment was short lived when Kubritz became a blur of motion and punched Krel straight in the face causing Krel to go flying backward against the nearest cabinet.

Then the punch turned into an all outright beating. Kubritz kicked at Krel's exposed midsection and his arms. One or two kicks somehow managed to land on his legs. One was so forceful, that a loud and very audible snap came from it followed by Krel's screams of anguish.

After hearing his cries, Aja had had enough.

"Stop! Quit hurting him!" Aja thrashed around in the chair. She was held too tightly therefore leaving her helpless to help Krel, who was currently being beaten for not doing what he was told.

"Tell me what this is!" She punched Krel in the head causing his nose to bleed.

"I... will not tell you what... that... piece of tech is. You know ...too much... already!" Krel somehow managed to squeeze out that sentence in the midst of getting kicked in the midsection.

"You will not survive the night if you don't tell me!" Kubritz gave another kick aimed toward Krel's head.

"Stop it!" Aja felt tears run down her face. Her brother was getting beaten to the point of possible death and she couldn't do anything to help. But what surprised her was that everyone in the room seemed to freeze. Not knowing what was going on, she stared down at Krel who was staring up at her.

The silence left behind was palpable.

"If...If you...truly want to know...what that piece of techno...technology does, let my sister go." Krel's soft and pain filled voice filled the room, "I...I won't...tell you anyway else."

Kubritz than began to stare at Krel. Even in the midst of a massive amount of pain, he was willing to endure more to help his sister out.

"Release her," Krel's gaze flitted to Kubritz. Who, by his observation, didn't even turn around to face the chair where Aja sat. He listened for the faint click of the restraints clicking free, before turning his gaze to the device in his four hands.

Krel almost fell over, both out of surprise and out of pain, when Aja came crashing into him embracing him in a hug. He quickly hugged her back, but was quickly torn away from her.

"Now, tell us what the device does." Krel watched Kubritz. She knelt down to his level and watched him contemplate what his next move was.

Krel once again debated on whether or not to tell her. With his acing bones protesting every breath, it was only a matter of time before something more serious would hurt him more.

But everything halted when a nearby explosion created tremors that rocked the entire building.

"You four watch these two," Kubritz pointed toward Aja and Krel, "The rest of you, come with me!"

And they were soon gone.

"Krel! Are you okay?" Aja was finally able to assess how her brother was doing. She reached up above his hand and grabbed a nearby towel that she had found to help his nose stop bleeding.

"No," Krel brought his aching knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs, "No I'm not alright. I just want to get out of here!"

And the tears began to fall.

"Hey!" Aja turned to sit beside him. Pulling him into a hug, she let the tears fall onto her rather than the floor. She allowed him to snuggle close, almost shedding a tear herself when she heard him groan in pain as he did so, "We're okay. Vex probably has a plan to get us out of here."

Both of them looked up as all the lights in the room went dark. The only light that was visible was coming from their bodies. But that quickly changed.

Grunts from the multiple officers who were ordered to stay behind soon echoed throughout the chamber. Soft blue lights zipped about as if there were luminescent bugs all over the place. The fight continued on in front of them. Krel clung to Aja as if he was going to be quickly taken away from her, but they both continued staring through or over their arms to watch what was going on.

And after a few more seconds all was quiet once again.

"Is it gone?" Krel unwrapped himself from Aja's arms and sat up more. At that same moment, the lights came back on revealing two others who were not the officers that were previously in the room. Those officers were on the ground unconscious.

Aja and Krel simultaneously gasped. The two standing in front of them looked a lot like they were Akiridions.

"Prince and Princess Tarron?" One of them pointed toward the curled mess of eight arms.

"Who's asking?" Aja protectively positioned herself more in front of Krel due to the fact that he was injured.

"That's none of your concern," The second one knelt down and eyed Krel, "What you need to concern yourself with is that we're here to get you out of here."

"Get us out of here?" Krel's raspy voice broke through the small amount of awkward silence that ensued.

"Yes get you two out of here!" The first one who had spoken up knelt down as well.

"How do we know you aren't here to kidnap us for General Morando?"

The two Akiridion looking creatures turned to look at one another and then produced a device with a hologram.

" _Hello, my name is Lieutenant Zadra of Akiridion-5 and I am broadcasting on a secure frequency to all those loyal to the Akiridion throne. There has been a coup staged against the royals by General Morando and the family was forced to flee. We don't know of their location, but we do ask those loyal to the throne to help us search for them. It is imperative that they are found and are alive. The citizens of Akiridion-5 need them."_

The hologram fell silent, dousing them in silence as well. No one moved or spoke, they just stayed still and quiet.

"Can you two walk?" The second one gestured to them, breaking the silence.

"I can't," Krel indicated his messed up leg, "They managed to break my leg."

The first one, turned around and crouched low. With Aja's help, Krel limped over and hopped onto the person's back. Groaning once the arms of the newcomer draped around his legs, he buried his face in the back of the person's neck.

"Brother, he's not doing well. We need to make our escape quick." The second person eyed Krel once more.

The first one nodded and then proceeded to to leave the room followed closely by Aja and then tailed by the other Akiridion.

"Make sure you hang on to me tight," The first Akiridion told Krel, "There maybe a need for me to let go of you."

Krel just vigorously nodded. His face was still scrunched in pain as the movements rocked his already sore body.

It was too quiet near where they emerged from the compound they had previously been situated in. The main bulk of the noise was coming from the other side of the compound as the various crews amongst the base worked to put out a fire the earlier explosion caused.

They were almost out the door when the voice of Officer Kubritz came to them from around the corner.

"Quick! We must hide!" Aja gestured for them to hide around the opposite side of the building from where the voice was coming from.

"That looked like a diversionary explosion. Make sure that you and your men keep your head on a swivel. Who knows whose around here."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The sound of the front door of the building the four of them just exited met their ears.

"Let's move!" The Akiridion holding Krel pointed toward the part of the 10 foot thick wall that they were closest to, "Use the shadows as cover."

They stayed that way for a couple of yards before they paused when a base wide alarm sounded.

"They've escaped! Check every inch of this compound! They couldn't have gotten far!" Kubritz's voice sounded over an intercom.

"Brother, our area of escape is a few more yards straight ahead of us, but it's out in the open. If we manage to get past the wall, then we would be free."

"But what about him?" He jutted his head back to indicate he was referring to Krel, "We can't move him far without further risk of worsening an injury."

"Then we move up into the trees until nightfall comes again," Aja pointed toward the top of some trees that were just beyond the wall, "We can hide there too since they are now searching for us."

Both of the new comers looked at themselves and then nodded in agreement.

"Then let us be quick," They resumed their trek toward the facility and was soon nearing the hole in the wall.

The hole was strange looking to Aja. She knew that there was explosives in it, but there was no signs of an explosion. Instead, the walls looked like it had been cut by something that melted the walls instead of unleashing an explosion. The sides were still molten as if they had literally just walked through the wall.

They walked through carefully to avoid bumping Krel up against the hot concrete and metal and soon all four of them were on the other side.

"There they are!" A voice off in the distance caused them to briefly pause once again. They turned and saw four officers and the Kubritz lady advancing quickly toward them.

"Hurry! We must get into the forest more and then find a good tree!" The first Akiridion pulled Aja and his sister off of the main path toward the left, down a path that wasn't marked.

"There's a good tree brother!" The second one pointed toward a large tree to the right of a small clearing, "Let me and the princess get up in the tree and then we'll help the prince up."

And they did just that. Aja and the second Akiridion climbed up the tree with a speed unheard of to the earthlings and then reached out to Krel's outstretched arms and helped him up onto the same branch they were sitting up on.

"They went this way!" The voice they long thought they left in the distance, drew ever so nearer.

Aja had to put a hand over Krel's mouth as the rocking of the branch shook his sore body. They sat there quietly huffing while the two who had rescued them watched down below.

"Where did they go?" It was Kubritz who walked up casually to the base of the tree, followed by four other guards and military personnel . She didn't look up, but everyone, including the newcomers, seemed to be holding their breaths.

"I don't know, but they couldn't have gotten far. We'll find them." The four others ran ahead, leaving the sight of the royals and their rescuers. Kubritz was the only one who remained.

They all held their breaths as they waited for her to leave.

And it didn't take long.

Once they were in the clear, they cautiously came out of the tree.

"Thank you for saving my brother and I," Aja was keeping Krel upright by allowing him to lean against her shoulder.

"You haven't been saved yet," The second of the two surveyed the area then turned back to the crew.

"My sister is right. You will be saved once we get back to our ship," Krel looked between Aja and the other Akiridions confused.

"You mean to say that we aren't safe until we're away from the compound?"

"You are correct!" And I would like to do it before night completely sets in. I know we had originally talked about staying in the tree till nightfall, but that was way too close."

"Then let's get going," Aja looked over to Krel, "Are you fine with that, little brother?"

"If you don't mind helping me walk," He smiled at her. The first real smile he had shown since this whole incident happened.

"Don't mind at all," Aja smiled back.

"Then let us be on our way. I have a feeling that they are to return rather quickly."

And with that they were off.

But they didn't go unnoticed.

"Lieutenant, I've spotted them. Activate the tracker and tell me where they stop." Kubritz smiled from behind a bush. She observed the four aliens leaving. And she wasn't done with them yet.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you guys once again for the awesome comments/reviews on this story! I really appreciate the time you take out of your day to let me know how much you like my story.**

 **To answer some questions. So the two mysterious Akiridions who appeared in the last chapters are some new OCs of mine. I won't give any thing about them away here, because it will all be explained in this chapter.**

 **Also sorry it took me so long to get this chapter posted! I've had a lot going on since 3-Below came out last year! But I'm back and hope to finish this story!**

 **So let's get on with the show! :)**

They have been gone too long... Too long to where it almost felt like they were lost.

Aja eyed Krel who was currently hanging on to the female Akiridion who had come to save them. He was breathing hard, limping rather obviously and otherwise wore an expression of pain. If it was possible for Akiridions to look two shades lighter than the light blue Akiridion bodies are made of, Krel looked it.

And to prove her point, Krel's legs gave out.

"Prince Krel are you alright?" The female gently guided Krel to the ground.

"I...ah...I don't know," A lone tear began trailing down his face. He gingerly wrapped his four arms around his legs and pressed his face into his knees.

"Hey, little brother, you're going to be alright," Aja looked Krel over, taking in his many wounds and injuries; making sure that none of them had reopened. She wiped the tear off his face to which he leaned into as if asking for the comforting gesture. Krel then leaned into her, fully burying his face in his sister's chest and softly crying.

"Everything hurts!" Krel almost sounded like he was pleading for something.

"I know! But I promise, I'll make sure that you will make it through this in one piece!" Aja hugged Krel a little bit tighter.

"Will I?" Krel's voice was so soft, Aja though she had heard things. The wounds would heal, but the emotional scars that lady had placed on his mind.

"If I have anything to say about it, yes you will!" Aja rested her head on top of his and tried to put as much confidence in her voice as she could. She wanted to be strong for Krel. Aja definitely didn't exactly know how, but she knew that by being there for him was a good first step.

"My royals, we need to continue on!" The male approached them and looked down. Krel didn't move, probably because he was too tired to make to do so.

"I don't think Krel can go on walking much longer," It was Aja's turn to do the pleading, "Is there an alternative means of getting to your ship than this?"

"We could get Nana to fly it," The female had turned to the male and shrugged.

"No! No way am I letting Nana get within feet of the controls!" The male flustered, almost backing into the two royals who were sitting near his feet during the conversation.

"What about carrying him the same way you carried him out of Area-49b base?" Aja also shrugged. As Queen in Waiting she could have ordered them by now to do her bidding, but she didn't want to become known as a ruthless, manipulating queen, but one of compassion and understanding.

And from what she understood, is that the two new Akiridions had been walking just as much as they had.

"Will that be alright with you, Prince Krel?" Aja peered down at her little brother and noticed that he perked up slightly.

Krel just stared for a few brief seconds before silently nodding his approval of the new method of transportation. But as he rose to get on the Akiridion's back, he stumbled and then collapsed unconscious.

"Krel!" Aja managed to catch him before it he hit the ground, "Little brother?"

There was no response.

"We need to hurry!" Everyone pitched in to help lift Krel onto the male Akiridion's back. And then they were off.

This time, it wasn't as long of a trek until they finally made it back to the taller Akiridions' ship.

"Nana! We're back!" He stopped in the middle of a lounge like area that seemed to be the center of the ship. To the right was a galley and the left was another room Aja wasn't familiar with.

She then looked up at Krel to get his attention, but almost forgot that Krel was unconscious.

"About time you two showed up! How many times do I have to tell you be home before dark?" An elderly Akiridion's voice echoed throughout the hallway and the room. She was so hunched over, it looked like she could fall over. But at the same time, she looked like she was strong enough to bowl someone over, "I seem to tell you time and time again to..."

All she had to do was round the corner and notice the guests that they had in their presence to shut her up.

"You didn't tell me you were bringing guests after this excursion!"

"Not just any guests!" The female stepped aside to reveal Aja to Nana and the male turned around to reveal Krel, "We have the royal heirs!"

It took Nana a few seconds before it dawned on her who she was looking upon.

"Your graces!" Nana did her best to bow, but she ended up falling over instead. The female Akiridion quickly rushed over and helped her to stand once more, "But...but what are you doing here on Earth?"

"That's a long story, one that I would prefer to save after we help my little brother with his injuries," Aja gestured to Krel who was still sound asleep.

"My goodness! What happened?" Nana, in her speedy slow walk, rushed over to Krel and began examining the wounds. Taking in the bites on his legs, arms and most importantly his back. She also took note of his broken leg, which after their journey to the ship made his leg look in worse shape than it was already.

"We were both captured by earth natives and Krel was tortured for information," Aja walked over and began to run a hand up and down one his dangling arms.

"I always knew humans were no good!" The female punched her hand and wore the most disgusted look on her face.

"No! No! Some are good and have helped Krel and I in our adventures here on the mud ball," Aja tried to quell the female's anger with her words, "But this one, General Kubritz, is not one of these nice humans. She hates us and wants to use us as what the humans call lab rats."

"What exactly caused these injuries?" Nana pointed to the largest of the bite marks that remained visible on Krel's back.

"Some sort of alien fish. Origins unknown however. His leg came from this horrible general's torture methods."

"Did the fish look like this?" The male turned back around and held up a wrist holoscreen device and activated it. It showed a variety of extra-terrestrial fish, but he zoomed in on one of them, showing a long, green, skinny body with rows of razor sharp teeth, "Once this beast has you, it hardly ever lets go unless he has nothing to bite. It had a long spiny fin that ran the length of its body and a razor for a tail." (Think angler fish meets eel)

"Yes! That was exactly what it was!" Aja pointed toward the hologram as if her life depended on it. Well, it wasn't her life depended on it.

But after watching the faces of these Akiridions fall, it seemed like Krel's life might.

"Esko, put Krel on the sofa while I'll go fetch the appropriate medical supplies."

"What? What about that fish that has you so afraid?" Aja ran over to the side of the lounge sofa preparing herself for the news.

"This fish, has a saliva that is almost like an earth acid. But it's not. It is a small organism which feeds on the energy of life beings such as yourself. They can survive with small amounts of nutrients if push comes to shove, but I'll let you take a guess as to what their most prized delicacy is," The male rubbed his hands together out of nervousness.

"It's Akiridion energy," Aja placed a hand on her brother's shoulder after he had been gently placed on the sofa. Fear crept into her mind. She couldn't imagine a life without her brother. She hoped that something could be done to prevent this organism from growing.

"Bingo!"

"No! I can't lose him!" Aja felt tears forming in her eyes, "Is there something you can do to stop this?"

"Yes," This Nana rounded the corner again holding supplies in her arms, "But it will be painful and not at all pleasant for your brother."

"Whatever it takes to prevent this from spreading."

"Why don't you let him rest on your legs?" The female walked foward and lifted Krel ever so slightly to allow Aja to sit on the couch beside him. She obliged and sat down. The lady then gently laid Krel's head and rested it on Aja.

Aja leaned forward and laid on Krel's shoulder. She embraced him in a way that in the event he woke up, he would be comforted, but also be there for him in the event that he struggled.

But Aja soon felt exhaustion overtake her. She must have been more tired than she had previously thought she was.

"Rest, Princess," The male Akiridion draped a blanket over Aja, prompting the Queen-in-Waiting to look up at him, "Everything will be alright!"

"Thank you," And with that Aja drifted off to sleep.

 **Sorry! This chapter is going to be short. Had a hard time with this chapter. But hopefully y'all still like it! Please leave a review to let me know how much you liked this!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Welcome to the introduction chapter to my three newest OCs! Hope you like them! Please leave a comment (Review) if you do!**

 _ **Back at Area 49-b:**_

It was strange to see a perfect circle cut into the wall. It wasn't created by the explosion, but it was created by something that neutralized the explosives.

"Fascinating!" Kubritz stood at the hole in the wall, overseeing the reconstruction of the wall.

"Colonel Kubritz, there's an incoming transmission from your contact."

"Good! About time!" Kubritz turned to the communications hanger and entered. She watched the everyone go about their business. She had business to do as well, but it helped her ego to know that everyone under her command was doing their part to run this tight ship.

" _Colonel Kubritz!"_ The gravely voice of the bounty hunter infiltrated the entire room. Everyone within earshot froze when they heard his voice.

"Cerosix. Do what do we owe this pleasure?"

" _I am landing on earth earlier than anticipated,"_ He looked almost too pleased with himself at the notion.

"When can I expect you?"

Kubritz however turned around when the hangar started to shake. It was a small rumble at first, but then it grew to a roar. The lights hanging from the ceiling rocked back and forth with the movements, prompting everyone in the vicinity to duck for cover.

" _Now!"_ And with that, the rumblings ceased and all could be heard was the sound of something outside making contact with the pavement.

Kubritz retreated outside and found a massive ship parked in the free space that was the road in front of them. She gawked at the size of it. It was black almost triangle shaped in nature. The front formed the point and the rest formed a diamond shape on the top.

The landing ramp, or what she assumed was the landing ramp, opened up to reveal her contact. He was a lot more menacing in nature than previously seen through their communications. His dark, scaly skin and orange fur added to the threat he posed.

Everyone in the vicinity raised their neurometers in the event he tried something.

"Cerosix! What a surprise! I take it you had a decent flight here?"

"Where are the royal children?" Even his voice sounded terrifying. He cut to the chase, not taking the time at all to answer Kubritz's question.

"Unfortunately, two unknown beings broke them out last night."

"You lost them?" Cerosix swiftly walked over to loom over the Colonel. Kubritz didn't flinch.

"We didn't lose them," She adjusted her glasses and focused a steely glare in the alien's direction, "I placed a tracker in the boy just before they were rescued. We know exactly where they are."

Cerosix just stared and met Kubritz's glare. The two remained like that for moments before Cerosix started to smile.

"Excellent. Now tell me of these beings," Kubritz guided him inside. She pulled up the security feed from inside the containment building and stopped it when two beings were shown inside the building with Aja and Krel. They looked very much like the two siblings, but their movements were too fast to achieve a clear picture.

"We don't know who they are. They just appeared out of nowhere and stole the Tarrons out of our custody," She turned to face Cerosix who stood staring at the image of the two taller beings.

"Hmm. It seems that we have the Taguiri siblings on our hands! This will make things difficult."

"The Taguiri siblings?"

"Kosciusko and Atala Taguiri. They are Akiridion bounty hunters and master assassins. Their family used to work closely with the royal household years before the coup on Akiridion-5 took place. When their family was killed in a bombing on another planet, the two took to the stars and were not heard from in years. Or at least not heard from till now."

" _Great! More Akiridions to handle!"_ Kubritz turned to look at the image of the two taller Akiridions, "What do you propose we do to re-capture the Tarron siblings if these two are watching over them?"

"Let me deal with that!" Cerosix turned toward the door, "You just be prepared to leave."

And with that the menacing creature left Kubritz to her own devices. She turned back around to find everyone in the room staring back at her.

"You heard the man!" Kubritz threw her hands in the air, "Make preparations to go after the Tarrons."

And with one final glare, she left the building herself.

 _ **Back on the Taguiri siblings' ship...**_

"Princess Aja," Aja could faintly hear the sound of a voice calling out to her. She thought she was dreaming and subsequently snuggled into Krel's side more, "Wake up my liege!"

This time, her body was shaken. She was effectively startled and sat up as fast as she could.

"Princess, I need you to wake up!" Aja rubbed her eyes and looked up to see the female of their two saviors looking down at her.

"What...what's going on?" She looked down and saw her brother still sleeping soundly against her. She then took in her surroundings and realized that neither of them were in the same room as before. This caused Aja to panic slightly.

"Hey! You're alright! We just moved you and the prince to one of the bedrooms thinking you'll be more comfortable there." Aja used her hands not currently resting on Krel's shoulder to feel underneath her. She felt a soft cushion underneath and realized simultaneously that there was a blanket over herself and another covering Krel. This calmed her down significantly eliciting a smile from her.

"Why did...why did you wake me?" She rubbed her eyes again effectively reducing the sleep in her eyes to a minimal amount.

"We were growing worried when yourself and Prince Krel hadn't woken from your sleep yet," The nana rounded the corner carrying more medical supplies in her hands. She carefully placed them on a bedside table sitting in the opposite corner of the room from where she sat, and lumbered over to where herself and Krel still laid.

"How long have we been out?" Aja looked down to Krel once again and noticed he looked better than when she had seen him pass out not that long ago. The initial wound that had covered his face and his cheekbones now looked almost healed and it had only been a couple of hours since they had been rescued and Krel had been given medical attention.

"You've been out for almost a day!" This time the male strode in and crossed his arms, "Prince Krel has been out since we arrived here."

"A day?" So much for the idea of it being only a few hours of rest.

"We decided the prince needed rest since his wounds were numerous and we wanted to make sure that in the event he woke up, you would be there as a comfort to him, " This Nana gently lifted the blanket off of Krel's legs and took into account his broken one. Though after some careful observation, Aja realized that his leg also looked significantly better than when they had arrived.

Aja watched as Nana carefully took hold of Krel's injured leg and carefully extended it onto a smaller table out in front of the bed. Gingerly, she removed his shoe and proceeded to wrap it with something that appeared to be stiff. Aja noticed that Krel's breaths started to quicken and his face scrunched with pain. She wished her brother was awake to know what was going on.

"Esko and Tall, why don't you introduce yourself to the princess? I don't think introductions have been made since you rescued them."

Aja looked up expectantly at her two rescuers.

"My name is Atala Taguiri and this is my older brother Kosciusko," Kosciusko who was a whole head taller than Atala was. Aja smiled at them as they smiled at her, "Oh! And that's Nana. She's been helping us ever since our parents were killed."

Nana just nodded as she continued her work on Krel's leg.

"Wait are you the children of the Taguiri Assassins?" It dawned on Aja that she had heard the Taguiri name before.

"Yes," Atala's smile grew bigger, "Our parents, I believe, worked with your parents on numerous ops right?"

"If I remember the stories correctly yes!" Aja was excited that her and her brother were rescued by family friends.

"I thought you two looked familiar," Everyone was startled at the sound of Krel's voice. His blue eyes looked up at everyone in the room.

"Krel! Little brother! You're awake!" Aja all but wrapped Krel into a massive hug, excited to hear his voice again.

"And I would appreciate it if the prince were to remain still as I worked," Nana gently swatted the top of Krel's leg she was working on eliciting a hiss from Krel.

"Sorry!" Krel looked up at his sister and smiled a sheepish smile. But then his gaze returned to the elder Akiridion who was administering medical care to him, "What are you doing anyway?"

"I am making a brace to help aid you when you walk, but allow your leg to heal."

Krel nodded his approval and then the room was enveloped in a peaceful and content silence.

That is until the ship's alarm sounded.

"That's the proximity alarm brother!" Atala turned to face Kosciusko with a grimace written all over her face.

"Esko, you and your sister go discover what's going on!" Nana pointed toward the door, "I've got to finish this brace or the prince is going to go nowhere fast."

"On it!" And the two other siblings disappeared into the confines of the ship.

But it didn't take long before two two master assassins returned to the room, a ghostly expression alighted on their faces.

"What's going on?" Fear had crept into Aja's voice again. Did she really want to know what caused the alarm to sound?

"Nana! You better make the brace on the go because we need to get out of here!"

 **Pronunciation of my OCs names:**

 **Kosciusko: caw-see-es-co**

 **Atala: a-tall-a**

 **Cerosix: sair-o-six**

 **Hope you enjoyed the first look at my OCs! Please leave a comment / review down below if you enjoyed them!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you guys for the support! I'm so happy y'all are loving my story! You guys are great! Please feel free to stay tuned for more and make suggestions on what you would like to see. If I end up liking it, I might include it in my story!**

 **Also take note that there will be a lot of back and forth in this chapter. I wanted to showcase both what's happening on multiple fronts and I felt that this was the best way to accomplish that.**

 _ **Inside the ship...**_

 _"Atala and Kosciusko Taguiri! Come on out! We want to talk!"_

"Who is that?" Aja turned to Kosciusko who was holding out a hologram of a security feed from outside their ship. It showed Colonel Kubritz, a mess of hazmat and uniformed soldiers and an unknown being standing outside of the ship all with guns drawn. Some of the guns looked like standard neurometers that Kubritz and her team loved to carry. The unknown being however carried something else in its hands.

"That is Cerosix Hagsanna. He is a being Atala and I have come across in our travels and work. He is a horrible being and wants nothing more than to see people suffer. He's even captured me before."

"And who is that?" Atala pointed toward the human who stood ready next to the bounty hunter.

"And that is Colonel Kubritz," Krel sat up on his arms, careful to avoid moving his legs as Nana was still working on making the brace for his leg, "She has made it her goal to capture Aja and I simply because we are not from Earth. She is the being who captured us and injured me."

"More like beat you to death," Aja crossed her arms in frustration. She hated being cornered and on the run and it looks like they were cornered now and would have to run soon.

 _"Taguiri siblings, if you don't come out now, I'll come in!"_ And with that the creature they now knew to be Cerosix raised his gun and fired a warning shot at the hull of this ship.

This rocked the ship which caused everyone to stumble. It rocked so hard that it caused Krel to fall off the bed and hit his broken leg against the table Nana had it rested against.

"Ah!" Krel turned quickly over on his stomach and rested his head on his fists. Tears began streaming down his face.

"Little brother!" Aja quickly hopped off the bed and knelt down to hug his head, "You'll be alright! Just breath! The pain will be over soon!"

"Brother we need to do something about this," Aja watched Atala turn toward the door but look over at her own brother. Kosciusko looked hesitant. And that made Aja afraid.

"But we can't let the royals fall into their hands again! You saw what they did to Prince Krel," The eldest Taguiri gestured to Krel who had still not moved from his stiff position on the ground.

"You guys go out there and negotiate. I'll make sure the royals stay safe!" Nana almost fell over trying to kneel next to Krel to finish the job she started on his leg.

"At least let us go out there and hear what they have to say," Atala placed her hand on her brother's armored arm, pulling him toward the door.

"Fine! But let's make it quick!" And with that, Kosciusko and Atala were out the door.

And then silence ensued. But they could hear the sound of the ramp lowering.

"Prince Krel, I'm going to put something on your shoulder that will help you with the pain. Will that be alright?"

Krel nodded his head in agreement.

Aja held onto Krel and watched as Nana placed something that looked along the lines of a human suction cup against Krel's left shoulder. It was clear but shared characteristics of an earth syringe she heard a lot about from friends.

"Relax for me please," At Nana's suggestion, Aja started running her hands up and down Krel's arms in hopes of helping him relax more, "This will hurt a lot less if you aren't so tense."

And it did help.

There was a soft 'shtick' sound and the medicine was administered. Krel flinched slightly at the pain, but otherwise remained motionless.

"You're being so brave little brother," Aja smiled down at him when he looked up at her. She wiped a tear off of his face which prompted a smile.

And soon Nana finished the brace she had been so diligently working on.

"There! You should be able to walk without much pain at all!" She was obviously extremely proud of her work. Gently putting the prince's shoe back on, Nana quickly glanced over and made sure that all of Krel's other wounds were healing nicely, "Go on! Try it out!"

Aja helped Krel to stand. She then hung on in case he fell, but watched as her little brother limped forward a few steps. He was still in pain, but at least it was a start.

But then another blast rocked the ship causing all three of them to cry out in surprise.

"My lieges you need to hide! For I fear that Atala and Kosciusko may not be able to hold them off."

"We cannot hide anymore!" Aja stood up, confidence oozing off of her like the syrup Stuart would put on the cakes of pan they loved so much, "We need to go and fight!"

"No! You need to stick together and protect one another!" Nana rose to her feet. Even hunched over, she towered over Aja, making the princess feel uncomfortable, "Krel can't even fight right now."

"She has a point Aja. Hiding might be our best bet until I heal fully," Krel knew that his words might not be enough to convince his sister, so he did his best to put his feelings into his expressions. He was feeling afraid, in a whole lot of pain even though he had pain killers running through his system and confident all at the same time.

After a few seconds of a Tarron sibling staring competition, Aja finally relented.

"Fine! Where is a good place to hide on this ship?"

 _ **Outside the ship...**_

The ramp lowered to reveal the mass of soldiers on the other side, accompanied by Cerosix.

"Atala and Kosciusko Taguiri! What an honor it is to meet you again!" They both looked at each other with exasperated looks. It was obvious that Cerosix was not happy to see them and it was not an honor for them to meet in such a manner.

"What do you want?" Kosciusko stepped out in front of his sister and produced his serrator in the event that they tried something.

"We want the Tarrons," Kubritz stepped forward, neurometer in hand, "We know it was you two who rescued them."

"Even if it was us, why would we give them to you?" Atala raised her hands in confusion.

"You have no choice. We have you surrounded and we have Cerosix here. From what he told us on the way over here, he's defeated you more times than you have him." Kubritz smiled deviously at the Akiridion siblings in front of him.

Atala and Kosciusko looked at each other with concerned expressions. Of course they both tried to mask it with their enemies in front of them, but didn't know if they were successful.

"Then... you know our choice," Kosciusko growled afterwords, baring his teeth in a show of aggression. Atala raised her serrator and activated it to reveal a sword.

"Then your fates are sealed," And with that Cerosix raised his gun and fired.

 _ **Back inside the ship...**_

"Quickly my lieges! In here!" Nana gestured to a hidden room of sorts right inside the cockpit. It was almost like a storage compartment, but had a bench on one end for sitting, "Esko and Tal used to use this a lot when they needed to make this ship appear abandoned. Now I hope you two can put it to good use."

Krel limped and Aja walked into the compartment. Aja sat down first allowing Krel to fill in the empty space. It was like fitting a large amount of food in a small container. There was little room, made more difficult by the fact that Aja had to be careful not to aggravate Krel's injuries. At least not after they have started to heal so nicely.

"Here are some blankets you two can cover up in the event that Atala and Kosciusko can't stop them from getting to you." They accepted the gift of camouflage and nodded.

"Thank you for helping us. Sorry I didn't listen to you before," Aja looked up at the elder Akiridion bowed her head in apology.

"You have nothing to be sorry about Princess Aja," Nana looked down at the two Akiridion royals sitting in front of her, "I used to be that way when I was in my youth. I understand the desire to help your friends and battle the enemies. But there is a time to fight and a time to remain still. That is the greatest skill a warrior can hone. Is knowing when to step into a fight and when to stay out of it."

"I'll do my best to remember that," Aja smiled up at the Akiridion.

Nana smiled down at the Tarrons before turning and closing the door on them.

Aja jumped, but settled down when she felt Krel slide his hand into hers. She looked up at him and smiled, to which he mirrored. Then they resorted to a comfortable silence as they listened and waited for the all clear.

 _ **Back outside...**_

The diversion was a success! Cerosix had redirect the attention of the Taguiri siblings to the human female and her allies. It was perfect! Almost too perfect.

He now had a clear path to the inside of the Taguiri's ship.

He activated a cloaking device on his person and did his best to remain out of sight. Even though he would be rendered invisible with the device, one false move and he could be run over and spotted. That or a stray bullet could hit the device and deactivate it.

And up the ramp he went.

Cerosix surveyed the inside of the ship once he arrived on the top of the loading ramp. It was a quaint little hangar. It was big enough to hold two small Akiridion light speeders and some equipment. But he grew more excited when he entered the living portion of the ship.

The first real room he entered when he invaded the interior of the ship, was a small living room. It was round in shape and sported a half circle couch on one side with a round table in front of it. On the other side was cabinets and places to store food and drink.

However, he knew exactly where he needed to go. And that was the cockpit.

This would give him all the information he needed in order to determine if the Tarrons were even on board. If they were on board, then he would find them. From what Colonel Kubritz mentioned to him, the prince was injured and therefore would be unable to fight.

Which would make him the easier target.

He de-cloaked strode into the cockpit with confidence. It was unlike him to be cocky, but he knew that once he had the royals in his possession, he won. He would be victorious over the Taguiri siblings and he would be rich beyond all measure when he acquired the bounty.

Cerosix found a terminal to which he could activate the ships logs and rifled through it. Looking for one thing and one thing only, he watched as holoscreens filled with text appeared before his eyes. He watched the date as it flew by. It was what mattered most.

He then found it. It was a log from four days ago. It was most likely before the Taguiris ever made it to earth. It first read that they received a message from the Lieutenant of the Akiridion Military explaining the situation on Akiridion-5 a month before hand. They had tracked the royal mothership through means that surprised Cerosix. And then it read that they had tracked the royals to Earth.

He watched as the text appeared to say that through a high intensity core scanner that they had on board, the siblings were able to track the Tarrons to the military base he now knew was Area 49-b.

The final entry however is what caught his eye the most.

It read that they had rescued the Tarrons and were prepared to leave Earth with them once they knew where the rest of the royal family and their entourage was.

They were on this ship. There was no refutable evidence to suggest otherwise.

Cerosix smiled. He had caught his prey. Now all there was to do was to find them.

"Aja and Krel Tarron! I know you're in here! Come out quietly and I will make sure no harm comes to you!" Cerosix hoped that by promising that they wouldn't be harmed would draw them out. After everything they had been through over the past month, he betted that they wouldn't want to experience violence all over again.

But all was quiet in the cockpit and throughout the ship for that matter.

Then he remembered that the human Colonel had placed a tracker on the royal prince. Cerosix pulled it out and was about to activate it, but then someone threw interference his way.

"You won't find him here bucket head!" Cerosix turned around to find and elderly Akiridion standing before him defiant as ever, "They left not that long ago."

"My sources say otherwise," Cerosix produced a holosword, much like an Akiridion serrator, "Hand over the royal children now and I might let you live!"

The elder activated a serrator herself and readied for whatever would come.

"Even if they were here, I would never turn them over to the likes of you!"

"Then it's your funeral!" And Cerosix struck first.

 _ **Inside the hiding spot...**_

Krel felt his core race. They both heard the sound of the hunter calling out to them. They both heard Nana stand up to him. And they both heard the sound of fighting outside. They both knew that Nana probably stood no chance against the hunter that was now within the ship. And they both knew that it was just a matter of time before they were found out.

"We need to go help her!" Aja pulled against Krel's arms. He watched his sister, battle ready as ever, squirm in her seated position on the bench. She wanted to help as previously stated. She wanted to protect the very people who were now risking their lives to protect them.

"It's too dangerous Aja!" Krel placed two of his hands on Aja's shoulders, hoping this gesture would remind Aja of why they hid in the first place. "We can't risk being spotted."

"But what about Nana? She could die!" Aja's eyes pleaded with Krel to agree with her.

"I'm sure she would lay down her core for our lives," Krel felt sorry for saying that. He valued the lives of every Akiridion. He didn't want a single one to perish. Especially when it could be prevented, "But we need to honor her wish and remain in here till we get the all clear."

"But..."

 _"Where are they?"_ They both grew quiet and listened to the commotion outside their hiding spot.

 _"Like I told you! I'm never going to tell you!"_ It sounded like Nana was struggling with something. Her voice sounded strained.

 _"Then if you won't tell me where they are,"_ The sounds of Nana's pained screams echoed throughout the chamber. Krel turned to Aja who looked just as terrified as he felt, _"Then your life means nothing to me."_

 _"I will gladly lay my life down if it means that the rightful heirs of the Akiridion throne survive!"_

"No! We need to go help her, Krel!" Aja stood up, almost taking Krel with her. Draping his legs over the side of the bench, and listened.

"We can't!" Krel latched onto one of his sister's arms that was closest to him to prevent her from moving forward.

 _"Then I'll gladly oblige you!"_ And with that, a single gun shot rang out in the cockpit. A soft clink of something hitting the floor.

"NO!" Aja involuntarily screamed out, but immediately regretted it. She clamped a hand down on her face.

 _"Whose there?"_ The hunter called out. His retreating footsteps however confirmed that their hiding spot had yet to be compromised.

"Aja!" Krel stood up and wrapped his arms around his sister from behind. They both knew what had happened outside in the cockpit, "It's going to be alright!"

Tears now flowed freely from both of their eyes as the comforted each other.

"Krel, I'm going to go warn Kosciusko and Atala of what going on," Aja finally spoke up, "I know you can't go far, but stay here and keep a low profile."

"But what about the hunter? He'll kill you too!" He still wanted both of them to remain hidden. If this hunter could infiltrate this ship, it was only a matter of time before Kubritz and the others did as well and their lives would be threatened ten times more.

"I am smaller and can hide a whole lot easier than Nana probably could. Now do as I say and stay here. I'll be right back."

And with that, Krel watched Aja slowly open the door and left him there vulnerable to the hunter.

Krel felt his core pound within his chest. He was terrified. Terrified for his sister, for what had happened mere moments ago in the cockpit and for himself. He sat back down on the bench and wrapped himself in the blanket. He hoped that he wouldn't be spotted.

And he hoped that himself and Aja would make it out alive.


	10. Chapter 10

**Warning: There will be mentions of torture and injuries in this chapter. If you are squeamish or overall don't like that sort of stuff, I suggest you don't read this chapter.**

 **Elsewhere in the ship...**

Cerosix could have sworn he heard a scream after he killed the Akiridion in the cockpit. It was strange. It didn't come from the old lady, and it didn't come from outside. It must have come from whoever else the Taguiri siblings were hiding on this ship.

And he had his suspicions who it was.

But after moments of searching, he almost gave up.

That is till he remembered Colonel Kubritz telling him he had a tracker put on the boy. She had a tracker put **IN** Krel Tarron. The most vulnerable of the members of the royal family. He smiled sinisterly at the notion that he would capture the prince. And thus be able to lure out his sister in the process.

Cerosix pulled out a handheld holo-device from his belt of tools and proceeded to punch in the frequency of the tracker. He then held it up looking for the signal. Once he started picking it up, it produced a steady beeping noise indicating that it was working. He waved it around, hoping that the sounds it was producing would guide him right to his quarry. Which it guided him in the direction of the cockpit.

He then slowly made his way back to the cockpit where he had originally heard the sound. The beeping grew stronger and faster when he neared the door. Something was on the other end he was sure of it.

However, he was caught off guard when he entered the room and noticed a panel in the wall to his left open, revealing a cavity inside it big enough for someone to hide in there. After further investigation, he determined he was too small to fit through the opening. Cerosix decided that in order to figure out if anyone was hiding, he would have to reach inside.

And reach he did.

At first Cerosix felt nothing, he only felt the fabric of a blanket that had fallen on the floor. But then he reached in further and found something skinny and warm. It felt alive. A steady pulse radiated through out the interior of the object in question. It flinched slightly at his touch. Cerosix smiled and listened to the sound of the tracker in his other hand confirm that he had found his target.

"Found you!" And with that he pulled hard on the skinny object to guide it out the door.

"NO!" The voice which he recognized as the Akiridion Prince called out and simultaneously, the boy began to fight back. Cerosix felt weak kicks against his hand. It did little good to stop him.

"Come here boy!" And Cerosix swiftly pulled Krel out of his hiding spot. He then wrapped one of his massive hands around the prince's chest and torso and slammed him onto his back and into the floor of the ship. The prince momentarily relaxed in his grasp, dazed expression alighting his blue face. But just as quickly as it came, it left and he was fighting against Cerosix once more.

"Let me go!" Krel fought against the vice grip of the hunter as it pressed down on him. It felt like there was a massive weight baring down on his chest, causing his already injured body to protest it. His two lower arms were pinned to his sides, allowing him to use his top arms to claw at the hand causing the pain.

"Now why would I do that?" Krel looked up at the hunter. The cold orange eyes stared back at him filled with much pleasure at watching him squirm. Then the pressure grew.

Cerosix felt much glee in feeling the royal heir's body bend to the force he was pushing on it. He had been told the young prince was already injured. That much he could tell for himself. He could feel the small remnants of broken ribs and bones that had almost healed.

He then put all his weight into it, taking more delight when he heard the sound of the prince's ribs breaking all over again. It was like music to his ears to hear Krel scream. He even added pressure to his broken leg with his own foot after laying eyes on a brace that adorned it.

"Now I won't ask this more than once. Where is your sister?" He let up on the pressure to allow the prince to speak.

Krel heaved in one massive breath, despite the pain that filled his whole body once again. He fixed his eyes on the hunter and glared despite the tears that were also running down his cheeks. He remained silent. Krel was going to protect Aja no matter what the cost.

"Why do you protect your sister? It's only a matter of time before I find her." Cerosix applied more pressure onto the Akiridion's body.

"Family..gah...protects family! Not that you would...ah...understand," Cerosix smiled when it showed that Prince Krel was struggling with all pain. He was also struggling to breath. Which in some twisted way brought pleasure to the hunter's mind.

"Oh I think I do! Which is precisely why you're coming with me!" Cerosix reached back and with all his might punched the prince in the head.

A loud cry ensued, but then the prince's gaze and strength started to fade. Cerosix smiled and then proceeded to slam the back of Krel's head against the floor. The prince almost went completely unconscious but didn't quite. This suited Cerosix fine. He knew the pain from his injured chest would do the rest.

He slung Krel over his shoulders and was surprised to find how lightweight the heir to the Akiridion throne was.

Cerosix took one last glance down at the core of the elder Akiridion. Smiling he adjusted his hold on Krel before taking off outside the ship.

 **Outside the ship...**

Kosciusko was down! His leg had sustained damage after a stray bullet hit part of this ship. This sent shrapnel flying thus causing some of it to be lodged in his leg. This didn't stop the fight however as Atala dispatched as many of the men with the freaky looking weapons as she could.

"Psst! Kosciusko!" He whipped his head around to face the landing gear closest to the boarding ramp. He noticed the princess standing there looking shaken. Unknown to him something bad had happened.

He subtly backed up, shield up and tried his best to hide Aja from the crowd around them.

"Aja, what are you doing outside the ship?" Kosciusko wanted to run with her back inside.

"The hunter...the hunter, he's inside! He killed Nana and is now after my brother and I!" Aja looked like she wanted to cry. Kosciusko just stared. Their beloved Nana dead?

"This can't be possible! Are you sure?" He shook his head, while simultaneously deflecting a bullet that had come too close for comfort.

"Positive!" And the tears began to fall.

"Atala!" Kosciusko called out. She made eye contact with him, "We need to retreat!"

But all eyes turned toward the hunter who had emerged from the ship bearing gifts.

"Colonel Kubritz, it's time to retreat," The trio of Akiridions watched as the hunter made contact with the ground once again, "I've got what I needed."

"Oh no! Krel!" Aja fought the urge to yell, but said it loud enough to where the older Akiridions could hear her. They all looked up and noticed the youngest Akiridion hanging limp over Cerosix's shoulder.

"Are you sure about this? Looks like you've only acquired one of our targets," Kubritz looked over at the ship.

"Yes. He'll be enough to lure our other target out in the open. Now don't question me anymore and let's get out of here," He turned back to face his enemies one last time, "Aja Tarron, I know you're out here somewhere. If you want to see your brother alive, I suggest you turn yourself in."

And with that the military entourage and the hunter left.

"No!" Aja finally ran out from behind the boarding ramp and collapsed into tears. Atala ran over and knelt down beside her comforting her as best she could.

"We'll get him back! I promise! But we'll need backup." She helped Aja stand and then walked over to her brother and helped him stand.

Aja looked out to where the hunter and the human military had retreated. She wanted nothing more than to run after them and free her brother. But she knew that was exactly what they wanted her to do.

"I think I know the people who can help."


	11. Chapter 11

**We're nearing the end! Hopefully everyone will be alright in the end! Please stay tuned for more! I'm sure you're going to enjoy what is to come!**

 **-NightwingNinja17 :)**

Aja was in tears. She had witnessed loss many times before, but not at the hands of another friend and their family. She watched as Kosciusko and Atala cradled Nana's core in their arms, releasing tears of their own.

But she had also lost something that day.

She had lost her own brother.

Of course it wasn't like he was dead. Or at least she hoped that was the case. She knew that the hunter Cerosix had captured him alive, but who knew how long Krel would remain that way.

"She was brave to risk her own life you," Atala turned to face Aja with Nana's core in hand.

"I wish I could have helped her," Aja looked to the floor, embarrassed that she didn't defy her brother's wishes and go help her.

"If you had, you might have ended up in a similar fate as she," Kosciusko turned and placed his hands on Aja's shoulders, "Thank you for your desire to look out for our family though."

Aja looked into Esko's eyes and saw compassion there. He didn't resent her like she was resenting herself. He knew that they would have done everything in their power to stop the hunter from inflicting damage and that's why he believed in House Tarron. Their compassion for others and their desire to help others was what encouraged him to follow them.

"Now who is this help you say you can get into contact with?" Atala walked to where she now stood parallel to her brother.

"We came here with a guardian Varvatos Vex. If I can get into contact with him, I'm sure he can help us rescue Krel and rid us of the hunter," Aja walked further into the ship toward the cockpit then turned around to face the Taguiris.

"What about the human female that was with the hunter? What do we do with her?" Aja shrugged. To be honest, she didn't get that far in her head. She didn't believe that there would have been a rescue from the compound in the first place.

"We unfortunately can't do anything to her. In order for Krel and I to maintain our human identities here on Earth, we can't harm a human if at all possible."

"That seems reasonable. But how do you propose we rescue your brother if we can't harm a human?"

"We need Vex to help us on that account," Aja looked down at the ground, hoping in her core that Vex would be able to help them come up with a plan to rescue Krel.

"Then by all means, let's get into contact with this Vex," Kosciusko began walking toward the cockpit.

 **Meanwhile...Outside Area 49-B...**

Vex was a worried mess by the time they had returned for like the fifth time. He noticed that the base was practically empty save a few personnel who had stayed behind to guard who knows what at the base.

It was like the base once teeming with life forms native to the mud ball, now disappeared making the base look like a ghost town.

"Where is everyone?" Vex brought the binoculars up to his eyes and peered down hoping to locate something that would indicate life in this place.

But what really caught Vex's eye was a massive triangular shaped ship sitting in the middle of the base on the west side of it.

"Stuart, do you see that ship?" Vex handed the binoculars to the Durian who looked less than pleased to even be there. In truth, Stuart was just annoyed at Vex having received no sleep the night before due to Vex pacing the floor away with his worry.

"No I don't see the...Oh wait yes I see the ship," Stuart stared intently at it, trying to see if he could figure out its origins.

"Do you happen to know what type of ship or who it belongs to? Because Varvatos sure doesn't know what it is."

"Ummm...It's nothing I've ever seen before, though by the markings I can see, it appears that there is a high possibility that it is a hunter's ship."

Both of them jumped however when Varvatos' phone started ringing.

"What?" Vex impatiently turned his phone on. He didn't like being interrupted. Especially not when it came to his work.

" _Commander Vex, someone wants to talk to you_ ," It was mother on the other line.

"Can't you see that Vex is busy right now?" Vex didn't even turn to face the phone.

"Commander it's urgent!"

Vex looked between the taco truck and the base, deciding on what to do.

"Fine!" Vex stalked back toward the passenger door of the taco truck, "Varvatos Vex will be there in what the human in a flash!"

Back in the Taguiri's ship...

 _"This is Commander Varvatos Vex! Speak now or Varvatos will come and attack you right where you stay!"_

"Vex! I am so happy to hear your voice!"

 _"Princess Aja! You're alive!"_ The relief that sounded through her protector's voice brought comfort to her heart. She smiled up at the screen and up at her protector, _"But where is Krel?"_

"That is why I am contacting you. He has been captured by a bounty hunter named Cerosix who is working with the evil military lady from Area 49-B,"

 _"Captured? But weren't you already captured by her?"_

"Commander Vex, this is Kosciusko and Atala Taguiri. We rescued the Prince and Princess from their custody yesterday, but were tracked down. That's how the Prince was captured again."

 _"The Taguiri siblings? I thought you had since given up rescue missions!"_ Aja was thankful that Vex had accepted her new saviors. She had been afraid to contact him for fear that he would react badly to the other Akiridions in the room.

"We had, but Lieutenant Zadra sent a message out to people explaining the coup and how the royals how to flee. She asked for help in tracking them down."

 _"Well, it's good to have such reputable Akiridions such as yourselves on our side,"_ Vex bowed his head, _"Now how are we to get the King-in-Waiting out of that infernal place?"_

"That's what we need your help with, Vex. Please!" Aja would have gotten on her knees if she would have remained visible, "Kosciusko and Atala already lost someone to the bounty hunter. I fear that if he has Krel, that he won't remain alive for much longer."

 _"Then let us be hasty in our plans. Can you make it back to the mothership or should I come to you?"_

"We'll come to you!" Kosciusko gestured to the screen.

 _"Then I'll be waiting."_ And with that the transmission was cut leaving both parties in silence.

 **Back in Area 49-B...**

They had made it back! Finally! Cerosix was pleased with himself. Even though one of his targets still remained at large, he had one and the weakest member no doubt about that.

He glanced down at the prince who was a heap of arms and legs on the floor. He had long since passed out from the pain which delighted Cerosix greatly. He watched the shaky rise and fall of the young royal's chest to make sure that he wouldn't expire right there in front of him. Thankfully he didn't. He would much prefer to keep him alive as long as his sister was out there ripe for the picking.

"We are back at the base," Colonel Kubritz opened the back of the moving vehicle to allow the hunter to leave it. She smiled when she saw the young alien boy laying still in front of her. She took great delight in the fact that he was back in her custody once more. Even if he wasn't completely there.

Cerosix rose and carefully stepped over the Akiridion Prince to exit the back of the truck. He pulled on one of his arms and slid Krel Tarron back far enough to where he could pick him up. He then slung the four armed Akiridion over his shoulder once again. This elicited a soft groan coming from the Prince's mouth. Who also began to wake up at that very instant.

"I have a cell for him if you would like to put him there," Kubritz pointed toward the hanger on the other side of the street from where they all stood.

"No need Colonel. I've got the perfect place for him aboard my ship."

"Will I be allowed to come aboard and do some further testing on him?" Kubritz gave the other alien a side glance.

"But of course! Until I leave you have free rein over him!" Cerosix turned to walk toward his ship. Kubritz followed.

Cerosix strode into his ship with much confidence, it was almost uncanny. The inside was decked out with all the tools of the trade he needed. Much like the Taguiri's ship, the top of the ramp was a hanger. But his hanger was much bigger. But then it led into a room that housed all of Cerosix's weapons and anything a bounty hunter wanted. It all hung on the walls or sat on tables that lined the walls.

Cerosix needed his hands so he placed the unconscious prince down by some of those tables.

But what impressed Kubritz the most, is after a few button presses from the hunter, a table of some sort rose from the ground. This table had all sorts of restraints and other methods of keeping a being down. It had so many, that she had a hard time believing that anyone would be able to get up off the table in one piece.

"Help me strap him to the table. Then he's all yours." Cerosix put Krel down on the table and made sure that his small body lined up with the right part of the table. He took the Prince's head in his hands and made the boy look straight up, "Strap his head down."

And Kubritz obliged.

This went on till Krel's entire body, all four arms and all, was stuck fast.

"Let me know when he wakes up. I've got a communication to make," Cerosix turned toward the cockpit of his own ship and soon disappeared. This left the young Akiridion Prince in with the human.

"You and I are going to have a lot of fun, Krel," Kubritz knew that he couldn't hear her, but she still spoke anyway, "And when we get our hands on your sister again, then we will have a party."

And she laughed. She was going to have a lot of fun with him. If only he knew what was coming.

 **Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter. I struggled with this pretty hardcore. But I hope you like it still!**

 **As stated, we are near the end. Which means, I need some help. How do you want the rescue mission to happen? Whatever idea I like, I will mention you in the chapter and your idea will be featured in my story. I really love collaboration between myself and my readers so please comment or send a review sending me your ideas!**

 **As also stated before, we are nearing the end so I hope you will stick around for that. Thanks for being such a fantastic audience and I can't wait to conclude this story.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Welcome back guys! Sorry it's took me a while to get this chapter out! I wanted to make sure that I planned out the remainder of the story and get an idea before I started typing it out and sharing it with you guys.**

 **Also shout out to Keytripper from who gave me the idea on the rescue mission. It's probably going to play out differently than you previously had mentioned to me, but I hope that you like it non the less.**

 **Warning: Another rough chapter ahead!**

 **Hope that you enjoy it! I can't wait for you to read what I have come up with.**

 ** _At the Mothership..._**

Aja was thankful when the mothership was sighted. The Taguiris had managed to land their ship in the forest protected from prying eyes. Then they made their way back to the mothership. The trek seemed long though the speed of the ship would say otherwise.

She just couldn't help but worry about Krel. He had been through so much even before all this began, that it appeared he would live with this for the rest of his life. Aja only hoped that the injuries he had sustained at Area-49b before they were rescued the first time, wouldn't hinder him in anyway.

Aja was relieved when she saw Varvatos standing outside waiting for them. She all but ran to him and hugged him as hard as she could. He was family after all and a welcomed sight to see after the ordeal Aja had gone through and Krel was still going through.

"Vex!" Aja didn't want to let go of her guardian.

"Queen-in-Waiting! It's so good to see you alive!" Vex hugged her back. He was so relieved as well to find one of his charges still alive.

"Vex, this is Kosciusko and Atala. They helped us get out of Area-49b the first time," Aja turned to reveal the other two Akiridions in the room.

Vex bowed.

"Thank you for helping the royals out in their time of need," Vex stared at the other Akiridion siblings. It had been forever since he laid eyes on people from Akiridion-5 that weren't the royals. It was a blessed sight to see.

"We unfortunately have not been as helpful as we thought," Kosciusko bowed down to Vex as well, but didn't turn his gaze toward the guardian. He stayed that way, not wanting to show the shame that he felt in losing one f the royals.

"You have done amazing work, despite all that's happened," Vex placed a hand on Kosciusko's shoulders.

The elder sibling bowed his head.

"Now what are we going to do to rescue Prince Krel again?" Atala walked forward to meet their gazes.

"I've been thinking on that. If we were to go right now and try to rescue Krel, the military and Kubritz will be expecting us. But what if we were to use a distraction to help us get in?" Aja looked in between everyone in the room.

"And what do you propose this distraction be?" Aja felt Varvatos' gaze on her. She tried not to show her fear over her idea on her face.

"I was thinking, what if I were to recruit some of my human friends to be the distraction while Varvatos, you, Kosciusko, Atala and myself work on retrieving my brother?" She shrugged, hoping beyond all hope that they would agree with this plan.

"No! No way are we allowing humans to assist in this rescue mission."

"But Varvatos, how else are we to rescue Krel? Kubritz knows who I am and she most certainly knows who you are. We can't just walk in there without distracting her first."

"And what better way to do that than to utilize your connections with the local youths," Kosciusko turned and looked impressed, "I think this plan might just work."

Varvatos huffed in displeasure.

"Fine! If that's what it takes to get your brother back," Vex crossed his arms not pleased with the idea, but if it meant getting the King-in-Waiting back from the hunter and the humans, it would have to do.

"Then I'll go find Stuart and see if he can help me round them up. He's usually better at these rousing speeches than I am,"

"Be careful!" Vex called out to her as she ran inside the mothership to don her disguise. When she came back out again, she was no longer in her Akiridion form, but that of a human.

"I will!" And she was out the door.

 ** _On the Bounty Hunter's Ship..._**

It was like his mind was swimming up a stream of never ending sluggishness. The amount of effort it seemed to get his mind to form even one simple sentence, was monumental and Krel had no idea why.

He also couldn't remember what had happened. The last thing he remembered was when Aja had left to go warn Kosciusko and Atala about the hunter. But then, after that, it was all blank.

That is until he went to take a deep breath.

Pain erupted in his chest. It was like pins a needles with pricking him from the inside. Everything, including the standoff with the hunter, started coming back. Krel remembered hiding from Kubritz and the bounty hunter and how Aja and himself were crammed into a small compartment in the cockpit. Then Aja left, leaving him defenseless.

Cerosix then found him, yanking him by his leg and pulling him out into the open. Krel fought the monster as hard as his body would allow, but was eventually overpowered when the hunter applied pressure on his small body.

It scared him. Krel had never felt such immense power before and his already injured body didn't do much to help with that. This simultaneously caused him to panic in real life. Unsure of what was going to happen, or where he even was, it did little to quell the fears rising inside of his core.

"Looks like the prince wakes!" Kubritz. Krel didn't want to hear her voice. He honestly didn't want to hear anyone's voices unless it was a friendly, like Vex or Aja. Boy did he miss Aja right about now.

But he remained silent. Taking in what sounds he could make out.

"Come on, open your eyes. I want to see them," Kubritz was acting all sweet now, Krel thought, but he knew that it was all just a ploy to get what she wanted. She was cunning like that, just as she had been when he was captured by her the first time.

"No, I will...I will not op...open them," Krel found it odd at how hoarse his voice was. It was like he had just swallowed a cupful of some of Earth's sand and then was forced to speak.

"If you don't open them right this instant," He felt heat from an unknown object grow stronger and closer to one of his four arms. Unsure of what to do, he scrunched his face in expectation of something horrible to come.

And something horrible did come.

He realized almost too late that the device emitting the heat was a serrator. Even worse it was his serrator. It was at that moment, all sluggishness and sleepiness left his body all in one swift movement. He tried to get away, but it was like he had been immobilized.

And in a desperate attempt to get away from her, Krel hit is head hard against the restraint around his head, forcing him to open his eyes. He swiftly opened his eyes and watched Kubritz gently lay one of the ends against his shirt, burning it and eventually burning and cutting his skin.

"There you are! Welcome back to the land of the living," Krel glared at Kubritz who smiled a bone-chilling smile back at him.

"Don't think you'll get anything out of me! Not this time!" Krel gritted his teeth in frustration toward the lady. He hated her and all that she stood for. He hated her for what she did to him and Aja and for the hunter she brought to Earth.

"You know for someone in your position, I would have thought you would be more cooperative," Kubritz ducked out of Krel's line of sight, which brought fear to him.

Krel decided now would be a good time to test the restraints. He tried to sit up, but it only resulted in giving him a headache and sore arms. The restriction of his body was so tight, it started to rub sores into his wrists and ankles.

"Oh! I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Kubritz returned to his vision, "Cerosix made sure that it would be inescapable this time."

Krel continued to struggle. That's all he knew to do at this point. Without the protection of the Taguiris or his sister, he was vulnerable.

"One thing I was going to test out before you and your sister were so rudely ripped from my grasp the first time, was to see how fast you heal from injuries," Kubritz produced the serrator again and aimed for the exact same place she had previously burned Krel at, "I also want to know besides your sister, and the Taguiris, who else from your planet is here?"

And the serrator made impact on his lower right arm again. Krel felt tears well up in his eyes with the pain radiating in his chest and now in his arm. She slowly moved from arm to arm, taking great delight in Krel's misery.

"Like I said...ah! Like I said before, I will not tell you anything!" Krel was hurting too much now to fight back. Not that he could have anyway with the straps firmly in place around most of his body preventing him from moving an inch.

"Kubritz," The next person Krel didn't want to hear was the hunter Cerosix. This vile hunter walked to where he was behind him out of sight. Krel felt his body begin to shake slightly with the fear of what is to come, "We need him alive."

"Stay...stay away from me!" Krel wished he be free of straps and run away from this creature. He had tried his hardest to be brave the whole time since he woke up a few days ago in Kubritz' clutches. But as the days dragged on with no end in sight, he felt that bravery slowly but surely leave him.

"I don't think so little Prince," Cerosix reached over the back of the table and gripped Krel's shoulders. Krel tensed at the touch. It was just as unpleasant as the pressure the hunter had been exerting on him earlier, "We need the location of all of your Akiridion allies. And if you won't give us that, then well, I can't promise you'll come out of this in one piece."

Krel gulped. He wasn't about to endure this, but he couldn't give the location of his parents, Varvatos and Aja up. It was like betraying them in the worst way possible. So, he chose to remain silent instead of saying a word.

Cerosix rounded the corner, eyeing Krel's broken leg. If he could, Krel would have squirmed under his horrible glare that seemed to look into his very soul. Finally, Cerosix made his move. Which was to grab Krel's injured leg and squeeze it as tightly as he could with the restrains as they were.

And all Krel managed was a startled yelp. He wasn't expecting Cerosix to do that.

"Tell us where they are right now or else I will do far worse to your leg than what Kubritz managed to do," And the creature squeezed tighter.

Krel stayed silent though despite all the pain. Squeezing his eyes shut, he worked on not saying a word or screaming.

"Fine then if you won't talk, perhaps, we can figure things out by another method," Krel watched Cerosix as the hunter disappeared out of his sight for a few sectons before returning behind him with some sort of device in his hands. The hunter unstrapped Krel's head to place something around his neck. It was a collar of some sort with barbs that ate into Krel's neck. It also seemed alive with something, "Now listen. If you don't answer my questions or the Colonel's here, this collar will do one of two things."

Krel noticed the barbs starting to move closer and more into his neck.

"The barbs will impale your neck," then a strong electrical current shot through Krel's body. This time he had no other option but to scream out in pain, "Or you will face electrocution."

And then as fast as it came it stopped. Krel was left huffing in an attempt to catch his breath. His messed up ribs doing little to help the pain.

"I will not...tell..." And Krel didn't even finish his sentence when the electricity hit him hard again, causing every frayed nerve not already affected to be so. This was one of the first times he had ever thought this in his life, but he wished that he would fall unconscious so that he didn't have to deal with this pain any more.

"Poor choice.." The button was pressed again and the electricity was momentarily postponed.

"Why do you...why.." Krel couldn't form complete sentences due to the reaction to his body had with the residual energy of the shock.

"Why do I want to capture you and your friends so badly?" Cerosix began pacing around the platform Krel laid on, "For starters, the bounty that Morando has placed on you and your family is far greater than anything I've ever seen. That and I have always wanted to to capture an Akiridion. Always wondering what that was like as I've never experienced another being quite like you and your kind."

"But you on..only need my sister and I to complete the wishes of the bounty. Why go to such lengths as to side with her?" He did his best to point at Kubritz with his fingers, "You could have done it on your own from what I've seen."

"I sided with the Colonel because it benefitted me that she had already had you in her custody," Cerosix turned to Kubritz and smiled.

"And you and your sister would have stayed that way too, if the Taguiris hadn't interfered."

"Regardless of what happened, it only helped me in the long run," He sneered, "I discovered your location and it's only a matter of time before I find your ship too. You and your sister will be captured by the end of the week and you will be returned to Akiridion-5. There Morando will do what he wants with you."

All Krel could managed was almost like a strangled sob. He closed his eyes. The worst feeling of despair washing completely over him. Tears started falling down his face.

"Stop your crying!" And instead of the shock, it was the barbs. This time it wasn't Cerosix who pulled the trigger.

It was Colonel Kubritz.

But it didn't last long.

"Colonel Kubritz!" another officer ran into the ship.

"What is it now?" Kubritz turned to meet him.

"Sir, there seems to be a problem outside of the base!" He showed her something on a screen out of Krel's view.

"Gah...Cerosix, we have an issue outside the base. Can I trust you to not destroy him while I'm away?"

"I've got a better plan in store for him."

And as fast as the words flew out of his mouth, Krel was punched in the head again and as fast as that, Krel fell unconscious.

* * *

 **See! I told you it would be rough! Hope you liked it though! Please leave a review or comment! I would love to know what you thought! :)**


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